Dimensions of sustainable rural development in mountainous and less favored areas: Evidence from Greece

The aim of this paper is to classify research, policy priorities, and development objectives in mountainous and less favored areas into a conceptual framework of sustainable rural development. The classification of sustainable development is based on the three main pillars: economic development, environmental conservation, and societal equity. Under the pillar of economic development, the role of agrotourism and the role of mountainous agricultural food products are considered. Under the pillar of environmental conservation, the role of environmental protection and the role of the agricultural landscape maintenance are presented. Under the pillar of societal equity, the contribution of women and the role of young farmers are considered. Finally, the conceptual framework developed is used to classify, analyze, and evaluate the latest research findings from Greece

Hazardous Agrochemicals, Smoking, and Farmers’ Differences in Wage-Risk Tradeoffs

This paper utilizes the theory of compensating differentials for job risks from the labor economics literature to evaluate farmers’ differences in wage-risk tradeoffs. In the context of job risks, the theory predicts that farmers who place a lower value on health status are willing to work for lower compensation on a risky job. The aim of the paper is to evaluate how the observed wage-risk tradeoff is affected by individual heterogeneity in risk preferences, by acknowledging variations in farmers’ revealed attitudes toward risk, both in job-related and non-job activities. The job risk measure employed is self-reported job risk of low back pain, the most recurring health risk faced by farmers. The job-related risky activity is the application of hazardous agrochemicals. The non-job activity is smoking. The primary finding of the study is that individual heterogeneity in risk attitudes is an important determinant of the risk premium workers receive, i.e., individual differences in other health-related activities are influential determinants of the observed wage-risk tradeoff. Keywords:agrochemicals, smoking, farming job risk, compensating differentials, risk preferences, health impairment, Agribusiness, Farm Management, Health Economics and Policy, Labor and Human Capital,

Determinants of technical efficiency of freshwater prawn farming in southwestern Bangladesh

This paper estimates a translog stochastic production function to examine the determinants of technical efficiency of freshwater prawn farming in Bangladesh. Primary data has been collected using random sampling from 90 farmers of three villages in southwestern Bangladesh. Prawn farming displayed much variability in technical efficiency ranging from 9.50 to 99.94% with mean technical efficiency of 65%, which suggested a substantial 35% of potential output can be recovered by removing inefficiency. For a land scarce country like Bangladesh this gain could help increase income and ensure better livelihood for the farmers. Based on the translog production function specification, farmers could be made scale efficient by providing more input to produce more output. The results suggest that farmers’ education and non-farm income significantly improve efficiency whilst farmers’ training, farm distance from the water canal and involvement in fish farm associations reduces efficiency. Hence, the study proposes strategies such as less involvement in farming-related associations and raising the effective training facilities of the farmers as beneficial adjustments for reducing inefficiency. Moreover, the key policy implication of the analysis is that investment in primary education would greatly improve technical efficiency

The adoption of water saving irrigation practices in the Region of West Macedonia

The use of irrigation water for agricultural production requires innovative and sustainable research and an appropriate transfer of water saving technologies. The main aim of this paper is to explore the irrigating behaviour of farmers examining factors affecting their decision to adopt novel water saving practices. In order to achieve the above aim both summary statistics and multivariate methodologies are employed. In particular, a two-step cluster analysis was used to explore the different adoption levels of water saving practices and a categorical regression model was estimated to explain this variation. Data were collected through a survey addressing 400 irrigators, carried out in 2008 in a typical Greek rural area. Results show that although respondents have already adopted several water saving practices the current irrigated agriculture cannot be sustained in a sustainable manner.adoption-diffusion, extension, irrigation, water saving, water policy, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Collective entrepreneurship in agriculture and its contribution to sustainable rural development in Greece

Agricultural Cooperatives, as member-owned and controlled agribusiness enterprises traditionally play an important role in upgrading the socio-economic status of their members and local Communities. However, in Greece, the majority of Agricultural Cooperatives face severe financial problems, which undermine their existence. In order to surpass this situation, they have sought means of enhancing their business dimension using more competitive forms of collaboration. These include alternative forms of collective entrepreneurship associated with the transformation of “Traditional Cooperatives” into “New Generation Cooperatives”, which under appropriate conditions can ensure their development and their members’ welfare. The typology developed in the present paper presents distinct patterns of collective entrepreneurship in which the traditional cooperative and the private enterprise are the extreme poles. The typology presented allows the comparison of alternative forms of collective entrepreneurship in the light of a threedimensional balance between economic development, environmental protection and social equity

Hazardous Agrochemicals, Smoking, and Farmers’ Differences in Wage-Risk Tradeoffs

This paper utilizes the theory of compensating differentials for job risks from the labor economics literature to evaluate farmers’ differences in wage-risk tradeoffs. In the context of job risks, the theory predicts that farmers who place a lower value on health status are willing to work for lower compensation on a risky job. The aim of the paper is to evaluate how the observed wage-risk tradeoff is affected by individual heterogeneity in risk preferences, by acknowledging variations in farmers’ revealed attitudes toward risk, both in job-related and non-job activities. The job risk measure employed is self-reported job risk of low back pain, the most recurring health risk faced by farmers. The job-related risky activity is the application of hazardous agrochemicals. The non-job activity is smoking. The primary finding of the study is that individual heterogeneity in risk attitudes is an important determinant of the risk premium workers receive, i.e., individual differences in other health-related activities are influential determinants of the observed wage-risk tradeoff. Keywords

Crop biodiversity repercussions of subsidized organic farming in Greece

This paper analyzes the impact of CAP financial assistance on crop biodiversity under uncertainty. A stochastic production function is employed and estimated to assess whether risk-averse farmers hedge risk by diversifying their portfolio of crops, thus increasing crop biodiversity. The model is applied to farm-level data of organic crop farms in Greece. Organic farming financial assistance poses a double-edged sword: even though it is considered agrobiodiversity enhancing as a cultivation method, subsidizing it can become agrobiodiversity reducing, since farmers may select to cultivate only the subsidized crops. The study shows that risk aversion leads to crop biodiversity conservation. However, providing CAP financial assistance on certain crops appears to decrease the relationship between revenue risk management and crop biodiversity, indirectly resulting in crop biodiversity loss

Understanding Farmers’ Behavior towards Sustainable Practices and Their Perceptions of Risk

Farmers, as the first link in the agri-food value chain, are key in assuring its sustainability. Farmers’ behavior and attitudes towards implementing sustainable farm practices is influenced by their perceptions of risk affecting the farm and their household, either directly or indirectly. In this study, we elicit farmers’ perceived risk perception and preferences and test their robustness and validity using a sample of Greek smallholder farmers since they represent the majority of Greek holdings. Results suggest that farmers exhibit risk aversion in most situations of farm-level decision making. In many situations, farmers will prefer on-farm environmental sustainability strategies over other risk mitigation strategies. More specifically, higher age, higher education, farm size, proportion of rented land, and the existence of a farm succession plan reveal an increase in farmers’ preference for on-farm environmentally sustainable strategies and suggest reduced incentives towards implementing other on-farm or off-farm solutions

Productive Efficiency of Subsidized Organic Alfalfa Farms

This paper assesses the efficiency and performance of organic alfalfa farms. Data were obtained from questionnaires collected from forty farms participating in an EU-subsidized program promoting the switch to organic farming. Results obtained using the bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis methodology show that larger farms had lower yields and lower efficiency scores and more experienced farmers had higher efficiency scores. A Tobit analysis of the impact of environmental factors and subsidies on farm efficiency demonstrates that CAP subsidies cause perverse incentives, raising questions about the efficiency of such policies for sustainable agricultural development

Modeling farmer participation in agri-environmental nitrate pollution reducing schemes

Why do farmers choose to participate in agri-environmental programmes and how do they choose the amount of land they allocate to such programmes? This paper examines the determinant factors influencing farmers' adoption of the EU-financed agri-environmental Nitrate Reduction Programme (NRP) in Greece and the extent of the programme's adoption, in terms of land allocation. The decision to adopt the NRP is modeled as a two-step procedure. First, farmers decide whether to participate in the agri-environmental programme and second, the extent of participation is determined. We employ Heckman's self-selection bias correction model to derive unbiased estimates. Based on farm level data, we develop the profile of farmers who choose to adopt the agri-environmental programme and the characteristics of their farms. The results of the analysis provide valuable policy insights decomposed into the main factors determining first, the adoption of the agri-environmental programme and second, the extent of adoption. By decomposing the determining factors, policy makers can employ this information to design effective agri-environmental programmes, desirable to farmers and more targeted towards specific environmental and agricultural development goals.Nitrate Reduction Programme Adoption Agri-environmental programmes Self-selection bias