How improving the technical efficiency of Moroccan saffron farms can contribute to sustainable agriculture in the Anti-Atlas region

The saffron sector as a sustainable farming system plays a primordial agro-ecological and socio-economic role in the Anti- Atlas region in Morocco. Under the Green Morocco Policy, the saffron area has more than tripled; however, productivity is still very low. To evaluate the efficiency of Moroccan saffron farming and its determinants, we estimated a stochastic frontier model using survey data collected in the production area. The results show that saffron farms suffer from technical inefficien- cies. More time dedicated to saffron field operations, a higher number of saffron plots and a greater distance to the urban centre increase farm efficiency, while the age of the farmer and the presence of off-farm activities decrease it. Building on our results, we argue that the new policy “Generation Green” should be focused on younger farmers as they are more likely to improve their skills and crop management techniques. To upscale the adoption of saffron as a sustainable farming system, an improvement in farmers’ market access is necessary which would facilitate farm specialisation, convert saffron to a major source of income and reduce dependence on off-farm activities. Strengthening the role of saffron cooperatives could represent an important step in this direction, but this requires improved knowledge dissemination and technology access

The behavioral mechanisms of voluntary cooperation across culturally diverse societies: Evidence from the US, the UK, Morocco, and Turkey

We examine the role of cooperative preferences, beliefs, and punishments to uncover potential cross-societal differences in voluntary cooperation. Using one-shot public goods experiments in four comparable subject pools from the US and the UK (two similar Western societies) and Morocco and Turkey (two comparable non-Western societies), we find that cooperation is lower in Morocco and Turkey than in the UK and the US. Using the ABC approach – in which cooperative attitudes and beliefs explain cooperation – we show that cooperation is mostly driven by differences in beliefs rather than cooperative preferences or peer punishment, both of which are similar across the four subject pools. Our methodology is generalizable across subject pools and highlights the central role of beliefs in explaining differences in voluntary cooperation within and across culturally, economically, and institutionally diverse societies. Because our behavioral mechanisms correctly predict actual contributions, we argue that our approach provides a suitable methodology for analyzing the determinants of voluntary cooperation of any group of interest

Assessing the Trade-Offs Between Farm Resilience and Farm Efficiency and its Implication to the Sustainability of Farming Systems

Climate change poses a threat to agricultural production in the Mediterranean region. Therefore, it is essential to build resilient and efficient farms to ensure food security and sustainable Mediterranean agriculture. Improved resilience of farms against climate shocks can enhance farm efficiency, depending on the farming system. Within the framework of the BIODIVER-SIFY project, the aim is to compare the resilience of different farming systems in the Mediterranean basin based on their diversification. To achieve this objective, a survey data is used from various case studies across the Mediterranean. The methodological approach is based on the impact of resilience capacity indicators on the technical efficiency of farms using the stochastic frontier model. The results show that the intensive farming system is more efficient, whereas the diversified farming system is more robust. Higher farm adaptability has a positive impact on the technical efficiency of diversified farming systems but a negative impact on the intensive ones. The results suggest trade-offs between resilience and farm efficiency that de-pend on the sustainability of the farming system. This study provides useful insights for farmers, policymakers, and researchers regarding the development of sustainable agricultural practices in the Mediterranean region

Geographical indications for supporting rural development in the context of the Green Morocco Plan: Oasis dates

Origin labelling is one of the most prominent approaches in the Green Morocco Plan with which the Moroccan government aims to support the marketing of domestically produced food and then improve the income of smallholder farmers. We analyse the preferences and attitudes of Moroccan consumers towards the recently established Protected Geographical Indication label "Majhoul dates of Tafilalet". The analysis is based on a survey of 303 Moroccan consumers and focuses on the influence of the label as extrinsic attribute on consumer choice. We use cluster analysis to segment the market and the Analytical Hierarchy Process to shed light on preferences of consumers under this labelling strategy.Results indicate two consumer types. The largest group seeks authenticity, origin, and quality. The label of origin in general and the origin from the oasis of Tafilalet in particular are the most important attributes affecting the purchasing decisions which fit with the goal of the labelling strategy implanted as part of the policy. The acceptance of the labelling by Moroccan consumers implies that the neighbouring countries might pursue similar approaches to support rural livelihoods in arid areas

Competitiveness and resilience dynamics in the Italian olive sector: An in-depth analysis

This paper investigates the interaction among potential and revealed resilience capacities, technical efficiency, and total factor productivity (TFP) in Italian olive farms using FADN data from 2013-2019. To achieve this objective, we use principal component analysis for evaluating potential resilience indicators and a stochastic frontier model (SFM) to assess farms' competitiveness and evaluate the impact of resilience measures on farms' efficiency and productivity. Results show that Italian olive farms exhibit higher resilience in transformability, followed by robustness and adaptability. Resilience indicators negatively impact technical efficiency. TFP growth is notably influenced by adaptability. Results suggest that balancing competitiveness and resilience is crucial to achieving a sustainable farming system. To face climate change challenges, policies should facilitate transitions to a climate-resilient farming system by incentivizing investments in climate adaptive technologies and designing careful subsidy programs that emphasize the long-term resilience benefits of sustainable farming practices rather than considering immediate efficiency gains. Farmer support through training and collaborative networks is vital to strengthening farms' adaptability and transformability capacities

DATA for: The behavioral mechanisms of voluntary cooperation across culturally diverse societies: Evidence from the US, the UK, Morocco, and Turkey

Provides data and analysis codes for Weber, Schulz, Beranek, Lambarraa-Lehnhardt and Gächter: "The behavioral mechanisms of voluntary cooperation across culturally diverse societies: Evidence from the US, the UK, Morocco, and Turkey", Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 215, November 2023, 134-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2023.09.006 ABSTRACT: We examine the role of cooperative preferences, beliefs, and punishments to uncover potential cross-societal differences in voluntary cooperation. Using one-shot public goods experiments in four comparable subject pools from the US and the UK (two similar Western societies) and Morocco and Turkey (two comparable non-Western societies), we find that cooperation is lower in Morocco and Turkey than in the UK and the US. Using the ABC approach – in which cooperative attitudes and beliefs explain cooperation – we show that cooperation is mostly driven by differences in beliefs rather than cooperative preferences or peer punishment, both of which are similar across the four subject pools. Our methodology is generalizable across subject pools and highlights the central role of beliefs in explaining differences in voluntary cooperation within and across culturally, economically, and institutionally diverse societies. Because our behavioral mechanisms correctly predict actual contributions, we argue that our approach provides a suitable methodology for analyzing the determinants of voluntary cooperation of any group of interest

The Behavioral Mechanisms of Voluntary Cooperation across Culturally Diverse Societies: Evidence from the US, the UK, Morocco, and Turkey

We examine the role of cooperative preferences, beliefs, and punishments to uncover potential cross-societal differences in voluntary cooperation. Using one-shot public goods experiments in four comparable subject pools from the US and the UK (two similar Western societies) and Morocco and Turkey (two comparable non-Western societies), we find that cooperation is lower in Morocco and Turkey than in the UK and the US. Using the ABC approach - in which cooperative attitudes and beliefs explain cooperation - we show that cooperation is mostly driven by differences in beliefs rather than cooperative preferences or peer punishment, both of which are similar across the four subject pools. Our methodology is generalizable across subject pools and highlights the central role of beliefs in explaining differences in voluntary cooperation within and across culturally, economically, and institutionally diverse societies. Because our behavioral mechanisms correctly predict actual contributions, we argue that our approach provides a suitable methodology for analyzing the determinants of voluntary cooperation of any group of interest

Co-Design and Co-Evaluation of Traditional and Highly Biodiversity-Based Cropping Systems in the Mediterranean Area

Intensive agriculture has created several problems in cropping systems that threaten the sustainability of agricultural production. In order to design new cropping systems, a new approach is emerging to support the transition toward sustainable agriculture: a co-design and co-evaluation process that involves stakeholders in the agrifood chain. The present work therefore describes the co-design and co-evaluation process that was followed to design a highly diversified cropping system in a Mediterranean environment. The different systems that were co-designed include the reference system, with wheat and barley in rotation, as well as three diversified systems that were also proposed and co-evaluated: the rotation of wheat, oil seed rape, and barley (DIV1); the rotation of wheat, pea, and barley (DIV2); and the rotation of wheat, intercrops of barley-common vetch, and barley (DIV3). The best system that was selected from the different stakeholders was the DIV3, as it had the highest evaluation of the stakeholders using agronomic, environmental, and socio-economic criteria

The behavioural mechanisms of voluntary cooperation in WEIRD and non-WEIRD societies

We provide a framework to uncover behavioural mechanisms driving potential cross-societal differences in voluntary cooperation. We deploy our framework in one-shot public goods experiments in the US and the UK, and in Morocco and Turkey. We find that cooperation is higher in the US and UK than in Morocco and Turkey. Our framework shows that this result is driven mostly by differences in beliefs rather than in cooperative preferences, or peer punishment, which are both similar in the four subject pools. Our results highlight the central role of beliefs in explaining differences in voluntary cooperation within and across societies

Sustainability Assessment of Highly Biodiversified Farming Systems: Multicriteria Assessment of Greek Arable Crops

The intensive agriculture that is used in many countries has led to a reduction in biodiversity and the deterioration of the environment. Therefore, it is important to increase the adoption of cropping systems with high biodiversity. The objectives of the present study were the following: 1. assess the performance and sustainability of novel highly diversified production systems compared to the current traditional system and 2. provide quantitative economic and ecosystem service information for farmers, extension workers, and policy makers in order to support the development of sustainable and resilient high species cultivar/landrace diversification (HSD) production systems. The rotation of wheat–pea–barley was a system with low energy inputs and high outputs, significantly increasing the energy efficiency. Also, the same system demonstrated better economic and environmental indices, making it a suitable cropping system for Mediterranean areas