Economics of organic farming (extension to OF0125)(0F0190)

This project OF0190 was an extension to OF0125 to cover completing the comparison data for 1997/98 and to extend the data collection by one further year (1998/99). The final reports for the two projects are therefore being submitted jointly. The OF0125 report covers the period 1995/96-1997/98, for which a detailed report was submitted to MAFF in July 1999, and a revised detailed report including a complete set of comparisons with conventional farms was submitted to MAFF, after revisions, in July 2000. That report has now been published at www.organic.aber.ac.uk/library/organic farm incomes.pdf. A detailed report for 1998/99 has been submitted to MAFF in March 2001, and will be published at the same internet site once accepted. The report presents results from research work carried out for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) on the financial performance of organic farms in 1998/99. The aim of the research was to assess the financial performance of organic farms differentiated by farm type, in order to inform MAFF policy-making with respect to organic farming, and to provide a basis for assessments by farmers, advisers and other interested parties of the farm-level implications of conversion to and continued organic farming. To provide an idea of the trends over time, where possible data for continuous samples of farms are presented for 1997/98 and 1998/99. The specific objectives were to extend the previous project (OF0125, covering 1995/96 to 1997/98) to collect and collate data on the financial performance of organic farms, differentiated by farm type . This was achieved through the collation of financial data collected under three different MAFF-funded research projects supplemented by data collected on other farm types. The samples of organic farms are small because of the limited number of organic holdings over 8 ESU (European Size Units) with identifiable holding numbers in 1996, when the previous study was started. As the sample is small there is limitation on how the results may be extrapolated to the wider population of organic farms, especially as the structure and objectives of those converting to organic production in the late 1990s may be different from those that converted in the 1970s and 1980s. Detailed financial input, output, income, liabilities and assets and some physical performance measures are presented for 1998/99. Where an identical sample of five farms is available, data are presented for 1997/98 and 1998/99 for the sample. The organic farm samples are so small that outliers (especially larger farms) have a large influence on the average. If the samples were larger, general trends would be more apparent and less influenced by individual farms; despite this, some explanation has been attempted of trends and changes in inputs, outputs and incomes. However, great care must be taken in extrapolating results. Of those farm types for which a continuous identical sample of five farms was available, Net Farm Incomes (NFI) increased for cropping (£281/ha) and dairy farms (£487/ha) in 1998/99 compared with 1997/98; in both cases outputs as well as inputs increased between years. Mixed farms showed an average reduction in outputs and increase in inputs, lowering the average NFI to £15/ha in 1998/99. The five lowland cattle and sheep farms improved a negative NFI of £161/ha in 1997/98 to a positive £7/ha in 1998/99 through an increase in livestock outputs with a similar level of inputs to that of 1997/98. Due to the high level of farmer and spouse labour on horticultural holdings, the average Management and Investment Income (MII) of the sample was negative, but the average NFI was £1,836/ha. On four holdings, 1998/99 average outputs were 92%, and inputs were 97% of the previous year, resulting in an average NFI in 1998/99 for that group of 75% of the 1997/98 result. The group of LFA farms, consisting of four cattle and sheep and one mixed farm, achieved an average NFI of £72/ha in 1998/99

The Policy and Regulatory Environment for Organic Farming in Europe

Organic Farming is one of the key issues in reshaping European agricultural policy. This book clarifies the policy and regulatory environment within which organic farming currently operates in all EU-15 member states and in three non-EU countries (Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic). European and national regulations and their implementation are reviewed. Focus is led on agri-environmental and mainstream agricultural support measures, marketing and regional development programmes, certification systems and organic farming support in the form of advice, training and research. The book aims at policy makers, the private sector, researchers and students in the field of economics and politics of organic farming

Modelling Organic Dairy Production Systems

In this study, a large number of organic dairy production strategies were compared in terms of physical and financial performance through the integrated use of computer simulation models and organic case study farm data. Production and financial data from three organic case study farms were used as a basis for the modelling process to ensure that the modelled systems were based on real sets of resources that might be available to a farmer. The case study farms were selected to represent a range of farming systems in terms of farm size, concentrate use and location. This paper describes the process used to model the farm systems: the integration of the three models used and the use of indicators to assess the modelled farm systems in terms of physical sustainability and financial performance

Elements of a European Action Plan for Organic Farming

The paper gives a number of reasons why a European action plan for organic farming is needed. The elements of a European action plan are outlined. A first step of an action plan is to find as much as possible a coherent description and understanding of the situation of organic farming in Europe at the outset and the barriers to further expansion. Strategic decisions that have to be taken carefully are identified: What weight should be given to organic farming policy? Why does policy want to support organic farming? Is organic farming just a system for less favoured regions? How important are the protectionist elements in organic farming policy? The answers to these questions are important to choosing an effective policy mix. The paper argues that the following policies should be part of a European action plan: • Informing the consumer, especially developing a unified approach to a widely recognised common logo based on EU regulation 2092/91 and subsequent legislation. • Improving the functioning of the organic chain: Production, processing, distribution within the supply chain with major emphasis on improving information, education, technology development, research and extension for organic farming and its process chain. • Supporting organic farmers financially as remuneration for the production of public goods. • Reviewing related policies with direct influence on organic farming such as the general measures of the common agricultural policy or tax laws and others, in particular removing production constraints such as set-aside aimed originally at conventional producers. • Supporting creative conflict between conventional and organic farmers and building as much as possible a consensus on the long term objectives with respect to organic farming. A high priority should be given to measures dealing with improving the information on organic farming to consumers. It is recommended to closely monitor any realisation of an action plan and to adapt the plan accordingly. In order to turn already the development of the plan into a catalytic process for the organic sector it is important to involve the stakeholders in a systematic way

Using Eco-schemes in the new CAP: a guide for managing authorities

This guide has been developed primarily for policy makers and Member State officials involved in the national and regional programming processes of the CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs). This process might involve different administrative levels (national, regional, local), different political fields (agriculture, environmental, food and health ministries), different public bodies (paying agencies, environmental agencies, rural development offices) depending on the administrative setting of each MS. In addition, the guide provides support to other stakeholders and practitioners from the public and private sectors and civil society (including agricultural, environmental, food, health and consumer NGOs), with a direct or indirect involvement in the programming and evaluation process of the CSPs. Since these new plans will have a strong impact on MS environments, agricultural sectors, rural areas, etc., the engagement of all stakeholders will be an important asset for supporting an effective implementation of the CSP objectives. There are many others with potential interests in the contents of this guide. EU citizens have demonstrated their increasing interest in the contents of the CAP objectives and policy framework, as demonstrated both by civil society initiatives and consumption decisions. The contents of this guide may therefore also be of interest to other societal actors with interests in agricultural and environmental policies, such as researchers, journalists, trade unions, and civil society organizations. However, the guide is intentionally more focused on the technical needs of those involved in CSP development and implementation

Organic Action Plans: Development, implementation and evaluation

This manual aims to support stakeholder involvement in future action plan development and implementation and evaluation processes at European Union (EU), national and regional level. The manual outlines the development of the organic food and farming sector in Europe; organic action plans as a component of European, national and regional policies for organic farming; planning and implementation of organic action plans; involvement of stakeholders in organic action plan development; and methods and tools for evaluation of organic action plans. The manual draws on key lessons learnt from more than two decades’ experience of development, implementation and evaluation of organic action plans throughout Europe

"What drives commuter behaviour?": A Bayesian clustering approach for understanding opposing behaviours in social surveys

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordThe city of Exeter, UK, is experiencing unprecedented growth, putting pressure on traffic infrastructure. As well as traffic network management, understanding and influencing commuter behaviour is important for reducing congestion. Information about current commuter behaviour has been gathered through a large online survey, and similar individuals have been grouped to explore distinct behaviour profiles to inform intervention design to reduce commuter congestion. Statistical analysis within societal applications benefit from incorporating available social scientist expert knowledge. Current clustering approaches for the analysis of social surveys assume the number of groups and the within group narratives to be unknown a priori. Here, however, informed by valuable expert knowledge, we develop a novel Bayesian approach for creating a clear opposing transport mode group narrative within survey respondents, simplifying communication with project partners and the general public. Our methodology establishes groups characterising opposing behaviours based on a key multinomial survey question by constraining parts of our prior judgement within a Abbreviations: EST, Engaged Smart Transport; GI, Group Identifier; BI, Behavioural Influencer; MV, Motor Vehicle; PT, Public Transport; Markov chain Monte Carlo, MCMC. 1 2 DAWKINS ET AL. Bayesian finite mixture model. Drivers of group membership and within-group behavioural differences are modelled hierarchically using further information from the survey. In applying the methodology we demonstrate how it can be used to understand the key drivers of opposing behaviours in any wider application

The Policy and Regulatory Environment for Organic Farming in Europe: Country Reports

This Volume (2) documents in detail the policies and regulations to organic farming for all 15 EU member states and for three non-EU countries (Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic). European and national regulations and their implementation are reviewed covering agri-environmental and mainstream agricultural support measures, marketing and regional development programmes, certification system and oranic farming support in the form of advice, training and research. Volume (1) provides a comparative analysis of the policy and regulatory environment within which organic farming currently operates in these countries. The book aims at policy makers, the private sector, researchers and students in the field of economics and politics of organic farming

Influencing transport behaviour: a Bayesian modelling approach for segmentation of social surveys

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Current approaches for understanding and influencing transport behaviour often involve creating fixed, homogenous groups of similar surveyed individuals in order to explore specific behavioural profiles, an approach known as segmentation. Most commonly, segmentation is not based on a formal statistical model, but either a simple ‘a priori’ defined group classification narrative, failing to capture the complexity of varying group characteristics, or a ‘post hoc’ heuristic cluster analysis, applied to multi-dimensional behavioural variables, creating complex descriptive group narratives. Here we present an alternative, Bayesian finite mixture-modelling approach. A clear group narrative is created by constraining the Bayesian prior to group survey respondents based on the predominance of a single apposing transport behaviour, while a detailed insight into the behavioural complexity of each group is achieved using regression on multiple additional survey questions. Rather than assuming within group homogeneity, this creates a dynamic group structure, representing individual level probabilities of group membership and within group apposing travel behaviours. This approach also allows for numerical and graphical representation of the characteristics of these dynamic, clearly defined groups, providing detailed quantitative insight that would be unachievable using existing segmentation approaches. We present an application of this methodology to a large online commuting behaviour survey undertaken in the city of Exeter, UK. Survey respondents are grouped based on which transport mode type they predominantly commute by, and the key drivers of these predominant behaviours are modelled to inform the design of behavioural interventions to reduce commuter congestion in Exeter. Our approach allows us to prioritise the most effective intervention themes, and quantify their potential effect on motor vehicle usage. For example, we identify that individuals that predominantly commute by public transport, but also sometimes motor vehicle, do so on average up to one day per week less often, if they are strongly concerned about the environment, demonstrating how an intervention to promote environmental awareness could greatly reduce motor vehicle usage within this group.This work was funded by Innovate-UK project ‘Engaged Smart Travel’ NE/N007328/1