Technical and Scale Efficiency of farms producing grapes for wine

climatechange and the subsequent requirements to comply with environmental standards, continuoustechnological change, and the need to adapt it, adjust, and remain competitive. The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic hardship it brought about, followed by the current energy crisis,make it imperative to address issues of competitiveness and efficiency of farm units. Theseunfavorable developments particularly affect mountainous and disadvantaged rural areassuch as the Region of Western Macedonia in Greece. Furthermore, the decarbonizationprocess that this region is undergoing, leads to a period of uncertainty, especially in relationto employment. The cultivation of vineyards and wine production are dominant economicactivities with Xinomavro being the main grape for wine variety. The efficiency of grape-producing farms are considered important for the whole wine supply chain. The objective of this paper is to estimate the technical and scale efficiency of wine-related agricultural firms in the region of Western Macedonia, by applying the DEA methodology. An output-oriented empirical model was applied for the estimation of technical and scale efficiency of farms producing grapes for wine. Keywords: technical efficiency, scale efficiency, wine grape cultivation, Western Macedonia, winerie

The contrasting mosaic of consumers' knowledge on local plant genetic resources sustainability vis a vis the unawareness for indigenous farm animal breeds

Unlike the conservation of wild plants and animals, which is a global policy issue, the conservation of locally cultivated plant varieties and indigenous breeds of farm animals is largely dependent on the farmers' choice to exploit them. This choice is subsequently influenced by consumer perceptions. As various local genetic resources of local plant varieties and farm animal breeds are of low productivity, they are not preferred by farmers and are therefore at risk of extinction. Consumer perceptions of food products originating from local genetic resources play a crucial role in the conservation of agrobiodiversity and sustainability of the primary sector, particularly in rural areas where short food supply chains can be more easily developed. The present study investigated consumer knowledge and opinions regarding products from local indigenous genetic resources in a rural area of particular agricultural importance: Western Macedonia, Greece. According to the findings, consumers have positive perceptions concerning local plant varieties and indigenous farm animal breeds, indicating their willingness to pay, but highlighting the requirement for reliable labeling. Interestingly, although Greece has a great diversity of indigenous farm animals, the public in the research area is only familiar with local plant varieties. Factors such as age, income and education level show a positive correlation with awareness for sustainability and conservation of local genetic resources

Comparison of Approaches for Determining Grazing Capacity in Forest Rangelands: The Case of Pisoderion Forest Florina-Greece

False-alpine grasslands, also known as summer grasslands or rangelands, are mainly associated with transhumance. In the past, transhumance and grazing were organized on a mainly family basis, and there existed an informal management system for grazing that was respected by all livestock farmers who used the summer pastures. Nomadic animal husbandry has disappeared, and with it a sense of respect for nature, the rangelands, and more generally, the environment. The aim of this paper is to assess the grazing capacity of rangelands in the Pisoderion Forest, which is located in the region of Florina in Greece, under various specifications introduced by forest management plans and relatively recent legislation. The grazing capacity that is theoretically expected following the specifications of previous forest management plans is compared to the grazing capacity according to the specifications introduced by relatively recent legislation. The conclusion that can be drawn is that the rangelands are underused, and with an appropriate holistic management approach, such as the traditional system of dividing the forest grasslands into yards, the livestock capital can be doubled in these rangelands

Regulating Pesticides in Greek Agriculture

The objective of this paper is to estimate the short run and long run own- price elasticity of pesticide demand in Greece in a profit maximization context. A single equation approach is adopted and the dynamic aspects of pesticide demand are captured by the use of cointegration techniques. The policy implications of the empirical findings concern the price responsiveness of pesticide demand in Greece to potential changes in pesticide price due to the imposition of an environmental tax on that polluting input. The estimated short run elasticity of pesticide demand is -0.8 whereas the long run estimate is slightly larger, approximately -0.9. The short run pesticide elasticity with respect to output price is 1.58 and the long run 1.75 both highly elastic estimates. The reduction of output prices may thus be expected to bring about a larger reduction in pesticide use than the imposition of a tax on that input

Total Factor Productivity Adjusted for a Detrimental Input

The measurement of total factor productivity in agriculture has been recently extended in order to include some 'bad' outputs that are jointly produced along with agricultural goods. In this paper, total factor productivity is decomposed into its determining factors and nitrate pollution is treated as an environmentally detrimental input. A restricted variable cost function is specified for Greek agriculture for the period 1969-1996. A constraint is assumed on nitrate pollution and the TFP estimates, which are obtained, are then decomposed into the rate of technical change effect, the scale effect and the market disequilibrium effect

Efficiency analysis in a sample of PGI bean producers in Greece

This paper provides an evaluation of the performance of a sample of PGI bean producers in Greece, by means of technical and scale efficiency and a comparison between them on the basis of average efficiency, aggregate efficiency and the performance of the average production unit. Data were collected from 104 farms in 2012-2013, using a structured questionnaire, with face-to-face interviews, within the designated area of protected geographical indication. Results revealed that technical rather than scale inefficiency is the main source of productive inefficiency, with corresponding efficiency estimates of 0.837 and 0.949 respectively. Most farms (87%) operate in a sub-optimal scale and are less technically and scale efficient than farms working in a supra-optimal scale (6%).They are 14 technically efficient farms in the sample (13%) of which almost half are both technically and scale efficient. The systematic comparison of the performance of PGI bean farms provided four dominating farms appearing more often as peer-units, information that is valuable for performance improvement targets

Evolution of the Structure and Economic Management of the Dairy Cow Sector

In this paper, we examine the changes in the structural, economic and managerial characteristics of dairy cow farms during their shift towards a new business model that operates under a highly intensified system. Based on farm accounting data from Greek dairy farms for the 2004–2017 period, the main technical and financial indicators are estimated and compared to provide a clear picture of the structural adjustment of the dairy cow sector during the last two decades. The outcomes and the implications described herein are relevant for specialized dairy farms in most European countries. The results indicate that modern farms breed a larger number of cows, achieve a higher milk yield, rely on high compound feed intakes and operate under an intensive pattern. This trend is even more evident in larger farms with an entrepreneurial nature, whose structural adjustments occurred in a more concise and effective manner. The latter benefited from a downward shift in their long-term average cost curves and the resulting economies of scale, achieving reasonable gross margins despite the ever-increasing feeding costs. Nowadays, the European dairy cow sector faces major economic, social and environmental challenges that must be properly addressed to secure its survival. The findings of this study provide insights concerning the efficient financial management of dairy farms that can support the development of strategies and policy recommendations that will enhance the resilience and sustainability of the sector

Total Factor Productivity Adjusted for a Detrimental Input

The measurement of total factor productivity in agriculture has been recently extended in order to include some 'bad' outputs that are jointly produced along with agricultural goods. In this paper, total factor productivity is decomposed into its determining factors and nitrate pollution is treated as an environmentally detrimental input. A restricted variable cost function is specified for Greek agriculture for the period 1969-1996. A constraint is assumed on nitrate pollution and the TFP estimates, which are obtained, are then decomposed into the rate of technical change effect, the scale effect and the market disequilibrium effect.Productivity Analysis,