The Role of State Trading Enterprises and Their Impact on Agricultural Development and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

The role of state trading enterprises (STEs) is significant for international trade, especially since the Uruguay Round. They account for large shares of world trade in certain products: about 40 percent for wheat and 30 percent for dairy products (WTO, 2000). This article examines the influence of STEs on the development of the agricultural sector in developing countries. During both the Uruguay Round and Doha Round negotiations, there have been serious complaints from developing countries that the operation of STEs is trade distorting and creates serious obstacles to agricultural development.International Relations/Trade,

Greek Olive Oil: How Can Its International Market Potential Be Realized?

Trade issues affecting virgin olive oil originating in Greece are examined. A gravity model is estimated to determine the factors affecting trade in olive oil. The results provided by the gravity model yield information that is central to determining the strengths and weaknesses of the sector, as well as the opportunities and threats that exist. Finally, some proposals and suggestions are developed for increasing the international competitiveness of the Greek olive oil industry and endowing it with essential quality and safety assurances.competitiveness, gravity model, olive oil, quality, trade flows, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, International Relations/Trade,

Evolution of trade flows for sheep milk cheese: an empirical model for Greece

This research examines Feta cheese trade flows, having as raw material sheep milk. The findings of the implementation of the gravity model demonstrate the significance of trade flows for Greek Feta worldwide. It will be a very useful instrument for examining the trading potential of Feta cheese, on the condition that there will be a positive outcome on the judicial and political level for the product in the WTO negotiations. The findings of the gravity model will be very helpful for an analysis which follows, in order to show off the strengths and weaknesses of the sector, as well as the opportunities and threats the market creates. Finally, there is a list of proposals suggestions which focus on increasing the competitiveness of the sector and on armouring it with all the essential quality and safety reassurances. This is done in order to avoid, in the future, attempts from competitors to jeopardize once more all this effort that has been done up till now. These proposals form an action plan which provides viable solutions to the quality and safety issue, as well as an aggressive marketing plan for gaining market shares in both EU and non-EU countries, utilizing the competitive advantage the product gains, as PDO.Trade flows, quality, competitiveness, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

Vlontzos

Abstract The current negotiations under the WTO and the implementation of the Agenda 2000 in the EU create a totally new trading environment for cotton worldwide. This article examines the subsidy schemes being applied worldwide, presents the cotton trade flows on an international level as well as for Greece and all relevant studies referring to the consequences on global trade if every subsidy scheme is phased out. At the end, a new marketing strategy is proposed for the Greek cotton production sector in order to create a competitive advantage and be in a position to face the increased trade competition globally

What Drives Farmers’ Decisions to Invest? The Role of Research Engagement, Information Collection and Type of Farm

The present paper develops a framework for modeling and explaining the decisions of farmers for realizing investments aimed at improving the operation of their holdings. The empirical analysis is conducted in Greece on 777 farmers of arable and orchard crops. The results prioritize the significance of farmers’ research engagement and information collection and show that there is a systematic difference between the realized investments between arable crops and orchard farmers, as the latter seem to invest more in their holdings. Finally, the paper ends up with a clustering exercise, in order to distinguish three groups of farmers which could be used as a means for shaping more tailored policy initiatives

Investigating the Varying Effect of Attitudes, Behavior and Socioeconomic Charactersitics on the Investment Behavior of Arable Crop and Tree Farmers

The present paper examines the attitudes and investment behavior of arable crop farmers in a comparativecontext with farmers that specialize in tree farming (fruit and nuts). The paper reveals that there existsignificant differences on the investment behavior of the two groups. It also shows that various attitudes suchas the pro-environmental stance, acceptance of EU identity and farming motive as well as farmers behaviorregarding research and information engagement have a different impact on the investment behavior of thetwo groups as this is revealed by a series of correlation analyses. The results of the paper are expected to bevery useful for guiding policy makers in drawing effective policies for mobilizing the two groups of farmerstoward the improvement and modernization of their farms

Assessing efficiency differences in a common Agriculture Decision Support System - A comparative analysis between Greek and Italian durum wheat farms -

This study assesses inputs use efficiency of durum wheat farmers, subscribed under a common Agricultural Decision Support System (ADSS), especially designed by Barilla and HORTA for this cultivation. Data Envelopment Analysis was the main analysis used to highlight differences in the implementation stage of ADSS’s suggestions, between 4 agricultural firms (2 Italian and 2 Greek) (N= 563 farmers). By incorporating economic (variable costs) and environmental factors (Carbon, Water and Environmental footprints), performance differences between farms both on regional and national level arose. Lastly, closer monitoring for clarifying the reasoning of the obtained differences in the implementation stage is proposed

Why Farmers Get Involved in Participatory Research Projects? The Case of Arable Crops Farmers in Greece

This paper seeks to underline the driving factors of farmers’ engagement in Participatory Research Projects (PRPs). This is a critical issue for formulating efficient and effective technology transfer channels, essential for improving the operational status of agricultural holdings. A survey was conducted on a sample of 326 Greek arable crops farmers. An explanatory framework consisting of three major factor categories and 11 variables was developed. A logistic regression analysis empirically tests the effect of the variables on the participation of farmers in PRP. Furthermore, the relative importance of variables and factors is extracted with the Shapley–Owen decomposition analysis. The results show that Farmers’ Willingness and Social Influences are the factors that mostly affect their decision to engage in a PRP. The farmers’ ability consisting of socioeconomic and demographic variables has a small effect on their decision-making process. The estimated effects can help decision-makers to shape and prioritize more targeted policies for farmers’ engagement in research. Additionally, this paper sets the basis for shifting research from simple estimations of the effect of variables on farmers’ decision-making, to a more comprehensive estimation that also accounts for the strength of these relationships. The paper fills a gap in the literature of studies on farmers’ decisions for participating in PRPs, by developing and testing an explanatory framework which also accounts for the relative importance of each factor/variable

Is Binge Drinking Prevalent in Greece after the Emergence of the Economic Crisis? Assessment of This Idea Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the ongoing economic crisis in Greece on alcohol consumption and binge drinking. For this reason, the Theory of Planned Behavior is being applied by using a sample of nearly 900 questionnaires. The questionnaire consists of parts trying to identify the attitude of the interviewees towards alcohol, their subjective norms of social environment, and the perceived behavioral control. This research has been implemented on a national level. The most important finding is the considerable difference in alcohol consumption compared with other countries faced similar negative economic situations. Drinking is considered as a source of pleasure and socializing. The participants’ perception is that family environment and friends are not considering drinking as a non-desirable way of entertainment. As one of the major results of the survey, drinking was found to not be driven by a necessity to overcome problems related to it, which is the main difference with previous studies in others countries, like Argentina, Russia, USA, etc

The Role of State Trading Enterprises and Their Impact on Agricultural Development and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

The role of state trading enterprises (STEs) is significant for international trade, especially since the Uruguay Round. They account for large shares of world trade in certain products: about 40 percent for wheat and 30 percent for dairy products (WTO, 2000). This article examines the influence of STEs on the development of the agricultural sector in developing countries. During both the Uruguay Round and Doha Round negotiations, there have been serious complaints from developing countries that the operation of STEs is trade distorting and creates serious obstacles to agricultural development