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Fertilizer Use and Environmental Policy in Agriculture: A Socio-economic Study in Greece

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Ioanna N. Fanariotu  and
Dimitrios G. Skuras
Ioanna N. Fanariotu
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Department of Forestry, Technical & Educational Institute (TEI) of Mesolongi, Karpenisi 36100, Greece; also Research Fellow, Laboratory of Special Mechanical Engineering, University of Patras, 131 Gournai Street, Patras 26225, Greece
Dimitrios G. Skuras
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Forest Economics & Politics, Department of Forestry, Technical & Educational Institute (TEI) of Mesolongi, Karpenisi 36100, Greece.
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Extract

The growing interest in environmental impacts of agriculture calls for effective agricultural policies to confront the expanding use of chemical fertilizers. Environmental policies in agriculture should be based on evidence concerning the factors influencing fertilizer usage.

A hierarchical loglinear analysis of some social and economic factors showed that age, education, farm size, and employment status, all exert an independent effect on fertilizer usage. In addition, age and education exert a joint effect on fertilizer usage. It is found that the categories most likely to use high rates of application of fertilizer, at least in Greece, are full-time farmers 56 to 65 years old, well-educated or with small-sized holdings.

The EEC's socio-structural policy for agriculture is examined in the light of the above findings. It is concluded that the policy could form the core for an effective environmental policy in agriculture. However, areas are pointed out for the formulation of improved policy with avoidance of mistakes.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , Summer 1991 , pp. 137 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1991

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