Dairy Farmers’ Strategies against the Crisis and the Economic Performance of Farms

AbstractDairy farming in Greece constitutes a particular case of livestock farming, because of its highly entrepreneurial nature. The modern Greek dairy cattle farming is predominantly based in Northern Greece, where more than 80% of Greek cow milk is produced. Since the 2000's the dairy cattle sector is characterized by a rapid increase in the mean size of farms, which permits them to undertake investments in machinery and buildings and to have access to improved genetic material for the achievement of higher productivity. Nevertheless, this development renders dairy farms vulnerable to volatile economic conditions, as they are heavily dependent on capital endowments. The main purpose of this study is to examine the consequences of the economic crisis on the dairy cattle sector and the strategies undertaken by farmers to cope with it. The analysis is based on data from a questionnaire survey of farmers in Northern Greece. Strategies undertaken by dairy farmers in order to face the crisis and to ensure the survival of their businesses are recorded through a set of Likert-scale questions. Technical and economic data are also analyzed in order to examine the economic performance of farms, revealing that the sampled dairy farms are viable, with satisfactory economic results, with capital returns of 6.2% annually. Based on the Likert-scale data, dairy farmers adopt active strategies to face the crisis, by undertaking investments and augmenting their farm sizes, while they deem that the crisis does not have catastrophic results on the profitability of their farms. On the other hand, strategies which entail less expenses and/or diminished productivity are unpopular among dairy farmers. Finally, the vast majority of respondents claim to have seen negative consequences on their farms from the recent measures concerning the prolongation of the duration of fresh milk in retail markets: lower quality, increased vulnerability to international competition, shrinking dairy sector

Improving market outcomes: A qualitative assessment of the Greek dairy supply chain

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗThis study provides a qualitatative assessment of the overall outcomes of the dairy supply chain in Greece. Based on the framework of the Taskforce for Agricultural Markets, a questionnaire survey with in-depth interviews was conducted to farmers, industries and supermarkets in Greece in order to gain knowledge about trading practices, market transparency, risk management, contracts, access to finance and the role of Producer Organizations. The analysis did not reveal significant unfair trading practices and showed positive prospects for the overall supply chain

Public Awareness Concerning the Multifunctionality of Cypriot Agriculture

AbstractAgriculture's multifunctionality constitutes a core dimension in the design of rural development policies of the European Union, recently reformed through the introduction of Reg. EC/1305/2013. Within a generalized rural development context, agriculture plays numerous roles; in Cyprus three sectors other than the production of food and fiber are particularly affected: the environment, including the management of water reserves as water is the scarcest resource on the island and irrigation accounts for more than 70% of the total water consumption, rural amenities, through the protection of the agricultural cultural heritage and the livelihood of rural areas, and the continuation of the farming profession, which is endowed with non-use values. This study presents the findings of a survey regarding the degree to which Cypriots are interested in the aspects of life on the island which are affected by the multifunctional character of agriculture. Using Likert-scale questions, 300 respondents were interviewed concerning their opinions and attitudes towards four of these aspects: environmental quality, management of water resources, rural amenities and the maintenance of the farming profession. The analysis indicates that Cypriots are aware of the roles that agriculture plays. Then, in order to examine the validity of this conceptual framework of multifunctionality, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed. The results of the CFA revealed that Cypriots incorporate these four aspects within the same framework, thus understanding the distinct effects of multifunctionality on their everyday life. The results of this study can be used in the implementation of Reg. EC/1305/2013, as they reflect public preferences concerning the orientation of agriculture

Ο θεσμός της επέκτασης των συλλογικών συμβάσεων εργασίας

Η παρούσα μελέτη επιδιώκει να εστιάσει σφαιρικά στη λογική του θεσμού της επέκτασης των σ.σ.ε. Αυτό προϋποθέτει να διαγνωστούν σε πρώτη φάση οι σκοποί της επέκτασης. Επακόλουθα, παρουσιάζεται το ισχύον νομοθετικό πλαίσιο, μετά και τις τροποποιήσεις που επέφερε ο ν.4635/2019. Το ερευνητικό ενδιαφέρον επικεντρώνεται στα κριτήρια της επέκτασης, στις συνέπειές της, καθώς και στον δικαστικό έλεγχο της απόφασης που την κηρύσσει. Εν συνεχεία, επιχειρείται μία συγκριτική παρουσίαση των διατάξεων που αφορούν την επέκταση των σ.σ.ε. όπως αυτές ισχύουν σε άλλα ευρωπαϊκά κράτη. Με τον τρόπο αυτό εκτιμούμε ότι θα κατανοηθεί καλλίτερα το εγχώριο δίκαιο και θα δοθεί η δυνατότητα εξαγωγής συμπερασμάτων προς το σκοπό της αποτελεσματικότερης εφαρμογής του θεσμού.This research seeks to focus globally on the logic of the statute of extension of collective labor agreements. This presupposes that the purposes of extension are first identified. Consequently, the current legislative framework is presented, after the amendments brought by law 4635/2019. The research interest focuses on the criteria of the extension, its consequences, as well as the judicial review of the decision that announces it. Then, a comparative presentation of the provisions concerning the extension of collective labor agreements as they are in other European countries. In this way, we believe that the domestic law will be better understood and conclusions will be given for the purpose of the most effective implementation of the statute

Accés à la terre et transhumance en Grèce : bien commun et conflits sociaux

La gouvernance des terres communes, considérées comme un bien commun, a toujours été une question d’importance majeure pour l’économie et la cohésion sociale en zones rurales. En effet, elle influence dans une large mesure la durabilité des systèmes de production locaux et est garante de la paix sociale. En Grèce les pâturages publics constituent un bien commun pour les sociétés rurales montagnardes orientées vers l’élevage, et l’accès aux pâturages conditionne la viabilité économique de l’activité, surtout pour les systèmes d’élevage extensifs, comme la transhumance. Malgré son rôle important, la transhumance est confrontée aujourd’hui à des dangers qui menacent sa viabilité. Ces dangers sont tant internes qu’externes et ils sont à l’origine de conflits sociaux parmi les éleveurs, comme aussi entre les éleveurs et d’autres catégories socio-professionnelles. La gestion des pâturages, qui pendant des siècles était assurée au sein du « tseligato » (une forme d’organisation spécifique des éleveurs, de type coopérative), est aujourd’hui menacée par le fonctionnement individualiste des éleveurs, qui sont encouragés, dans une certaine mesure, par les mesures des politiques publiques appliquées. La question centrale qui se pose est : dans quelle mesure ces dangers et conflits conditionnent-ils la durabilité des pâturages montagneux et la durabilité de la transhumance ? Cependant, sous les conditions actuelles, l’atténuation des conflits sociaux pourrait être réalisée non seulement par des ajustements réglementaires ciblés au niveau central ou régional, mais aussi par des approches participatives et l’encouragement des initiatives locales.The governance of common lands, considered as a common good, has always been a matter of major importance for economy and social cohesion in rural areas. Indeed, they highly influence the sustainability of local production systems and guarantee social cohesion. In Greece, public rangelands constitute a common good for mountain-based rural societies, which are basically involved in livestock production as an economic activity, and access to rangelands conditions the economic viability of their activity. This concerns pertains mostly to extensive livestock systems, such as transhumance systems. Despite its important role, transhumance nowadays faces dangers that threaten its viability. These dangers are internal as well as external and they are the causes of social conflicts among farmers, as well as among farmers and other actors involved in the sector. The management of rangelands, which for centuries was ensured within the « tseligato » (a form of specific cooperative-type organization of livestock farmers), is nowdays today threatened by the individualistic behaviour of pastoralists, which is encouraged, to an extent, by policy measures. The central question that arises is to what extent these hazards and conflicts determine the sustainability of mountain rangelands and the sustainability of transhumance. It appears that, under current conditions, the mitigation of social conflicts can be achieved not only through targeted regulatory adjustments, at the central or regional level, but also through participatory approaches and the encouragement of local initiatives

Assessing the importance of soil testing in fertilizer use intensity: a tobit analysis of P fertilizer demand by dairy farmers in Ireland

Phosphorus (P) is considered the second most important nutrient for grass growth following nitrogen (N) and it is applied on grasslands mainly through chemical fertilizers. Irrational use of chemical fertilizers, however, lead to severe and often irreversible environmental degradation, which has, consecutively, an impact on the overall sustainability of the world. Farmers are responsible for the amount of P fertilization on their farm, and despite the efforts to design policies to assist them with precise chemical fertilizer use, chemical P use is still high, particularly on pasture fields where grass needs to be constantly maintained. . In Ireland, where agriculture is majorly pasture based, soil testing is highly recommended, as part of the Irish rural development plans, in order to encourage efficient nutrient management. This study uses an econometric model on data from the Irish national farm survey to examine the examines the relation between soil testing and chemical P fertilization in Irish pasture based farm systems. Results indicate the soil-testing leads to the use lower amounts of chemical fertilizers, which is also correlated with landscape characteristics and farm intensity, indicating the need for targeted management approaches to farm level management decision making

Sustainability assessment of goat and sheep farms: a comparison between European countries

European sheep and goat farming faces diverse challenges at global or local scales and constitutes an important sector for many countries, playing important sociocultural, economic and environmental roles. A closer examination of the overall sustainability of the sector is necessary to assess the performance of different farm types in various geographical settings. This comparative study evaluates the use of a common sustainability assessment (SA) tool for the major European countries in the sheep and goat sector. In particular, the study reports the results of a SA using the Public Goods (PG) Tool, adapted within the Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe (iSAGE) Horizon 2020 project, which includes questions accounting for 13 dimensions of a sheep and goat farm sustainability. In total, 206 farmers from Greece, Italy, Spain, Finland, United Kingdom, France and Turkey were interviewed, all of which were typical of specific types of a pan-European sheep and goat farm typologies elaborated within iSAGE. The study resulted in composite indicators of performance in each dimension for each country. Finland, Italy and the United Kingdom performed better than other countries, while Turkey and Greece performed below average in most categories. The results highlight challenges for each country but also at the European level, the latter mainly relating to generational renewal and an unwillingness to invest in the adoption of a more sustainable approach with long-term results.</jats:p

Values of natural and human-made wetlands: A meta-analysis

The values of goods and services provided by wetland ecosystems are examined through a meta-analysis of an expanded database of wetland value estimates and with a focus on human-made wetlands. This study extends and improves upon previous meta-analyses of the wetland valuation literature in terms of the number of observations, geographical coverage, wetland class and integrity, and the measurement of the effects of scarcity and anthropogenic pressure. We find that water quality improvement, nonconsumptive recreation, and provision of natural habitat and biodiversity are highly valued services. Substitution effects are observed through the negative correlation between values and abundance of other wetlands. Wetland values are found to increase with anthropogenic pressure. An extended metaregression model with cross effects shows that the valuation of specific services varies with the type of wetland producing them. Human-made wetlands are highly valued for biodiversity enhancement, water quality improvement, and flood control