Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T20:50:13.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Exploring risk management strategies for organic farmers: A Greek case study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2013

Irene Tzouramani ,
George Alexopoulos ,
Giorgos Kostianis  and
Leonidas Kazakopoulos
Irene Tzouramani*
Affiliation:
Agricultural Economics and Policy Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (DEMETER), Greece
George Alexopoulos
Affiliation:
Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Greece
Giorgos Kostianis
Affiliation:
Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Greece
Leonidas Kazakopoulos
Affiliation:
Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Greece
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study attempts to enrich the debate on the different forms of risk management strategies that are utilized by organic farmers and to assess the internal dynamics within the organic farming community by examining the attitudes and practices of these farmers. In particular, using a factor analysis, this study determines the attitudes of Greek farmers toward risk management strategies and focuses on the differences in risk attitudes between existing organic farmers and non-organic farmers. Second, using a probit analysis, this study characterizes the key factors that affect Greek farmers' attitudes with respect to risk management strategies. The thorough presentation of this research study provides essential information to policy-makers for understanding the factors that induce farmers to participate in organic agriculture. Moreover, the analysis of the risk management strategies that organic farmers apply is expected to offer valuable insights that will be critical for the timely introduction and efficient application of the forthcoming post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures.

Keywords

organic agriculturerisk managementagriculture policy
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , June 2014 , pp. 167 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and rural Development 2010. An Analysis of the EU Organic Sector. Available at Web site http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic (accessed February 28, 2013).Google Scholar
2Burton, M., Rigby, D., and Young, T. 1999. Analysis of the determinants of adoption of organic horticultural techniques in the UK. Journal of Agricultural Economics 50(1):47–63.Google Scholar
3Duman, L. 1999. Factors in organic farmers’ decision making: diversity, challenge, obstacles. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 14(1):2–9.Google Scholar
4Padel, S. 2001. Conversion to organic farming: a typical example of the diffusion of an innovation? Sociologia Ruralis 41(1):40–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Rigby, D., Young, T., and Burton, M. 2001. The development of and prospects for organic farming in the UK. Food Policy 26(6):599–613.Google Scholar
6Wynn, G., Crabtree, B., and Potts, J. 2001. Modelling farmer entry into the environmentally sensitive area schemes in Scotland. Journal of Agricultural Economics 52(1):65–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Darnhofer, I., Schneeberger, W., and Freyer, B. 2005. Converting or not converting to organic farming in Austria: farmer types and their rationale. Agriculture and Human Values 22:39–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Flaten, O., Lien, G., Koesling, M., Valle, P.S., and Ebbesvik, M. 2005. Comparing risk perceptions and risk management in organic and conventional dairy farming: empirical results from Norway. Livestock Production Science 95:11–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Flaten, O., Lien, G., Ebbesvik, M., Koesling, M., and Valle, P. 2006. Do the new organic producers differ from the ‘old guard’? Empirical results from Norwegian dairy farming. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 21(3):174–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Koesling, M., Flaten, O., and Lien, G. 2008. Factors influencing the conversion to organic farming in Norway. International Journal of Agricultural, Resources, Governance and Ecology 7(1/2):78–95.Google Scholar
11Toma, L. and Mathijs, E. 2007. Environmental risk perception, environmental concern and propensity to participate in organic farming programmes. Journal of Environmental Management 83(2):145–157.Google Scholar
12Defrancesco, E., Gatto, P., Runge, F., and Trestini, A. 2008. Factors affecting farmers’ participation in agri-environmental measures: A Northern Italian perceptive. Journal of Agricultural Economics 59(1):114–131.Google Scholar
13Greiner, R., Patterson, L., and Miller, O. 2009. Motivations, risk perceptions and adoption of conservation practices by farmers. Agricultural Systems 99(2–3):86–104.Google Scholar
14Flaten, O., Lien, G., Koesling, M., and Loes, A.K. 2010. Norwegian farmers ceasing certified organic production: Characteristics and reasons. Journal of Environmental Management 91:2717–2726.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Sattler, C. and Nagel, U.J. 2010. Factors affecting farmers' acceptance of conservation measures—A case study from north-eastern Germany. Land Use Policy 27(1):70–77.Google Scholar
16Schneeberger, W., Darnhofer, I., and Eder, M. 2002. Barriers to the adoption of organic farming by cash-crop producers in Austria. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 17:24–31.Google Scholar
17Hanson, J., Dismukes, R., Chambers, W., Greene, C., and Kremen, A. 2004. Risk and risk management in organic agriculture: Views of organic farmers. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 19(4):218–227.Google Scholar
18Lien, G., Flaten, O., Jervell, A.M., Ebbesvik, M., Koesling, M., and Valle, P.S. 2006. Management and risk characteristics of part-time and full-time farmers in Norway. Review of Agricultural Economics 28(1):111–131.Google Scholar
19Sierra, L., Klonsky, K., Strochlic, R., Brodt, S., and Molinar, R. 2008. Factors Associated with Deregistration Among Organic Farmers in California. University of California—Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, Davis, CA.Google Scholar
20Uematsu, H. and Mishra, A.K. 2012. Organic farmers or conventional farmers: Where's the money? Ecological Economics 78:55–62.Google Scholar
21Meuwissen, M.P.M., Huirne, R.B.M., and Hardaker, J.B. 2001. Risk and risk management. An empirical analysis of Dutch livestock farmers. Livestock Production Science 69:43–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Ahsan, D. 2011. Farmers’ motivations, risk perceptions and risk management strategies in a developing economy: Bangladesh experience. Journal of Risk Research 14(3):325–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Hansson, H. and Lagerkvist, C.J. 2012. Measuring farmers' preferences for risk: a domain-specific risk preference scale. Journal of Risk Research 15(7):737–753.Google Scholar
24Tzouvelekas, V., Pantzios, C., and Fotopoulos, C. 2001. Technical efficiency of alternative farming systems: The case of Greek organic and conventional olive-growing farms. Food Policy 26:549–569.Google Scholar
25Tzouramani, I. and Mattas, K. 2009. Evaluating economic incentives for Greek organic agriculture: a real options approach. In Rezitis, A. (ed.). E-book series, Research Topics in Agricultural and Applied Economics, Volume 1. Benthan Science Publishers, London. p. 23–35.Google Scholar
26Tzouramani, I., Sintori, A., Liontakis, A., and Alexopoulos, G. 2011. An assessment of the economic performance of organic dairy sheep farming in Greece. Livestock Science 141:136–142.Google Scholar
27Tsakiridou, E., Boutsouki, Ch., Zotos, Y., and Mattas, K. 2008. Attitudes and behaviour towards organic products: an exploratory study. International Journal of Retail and Distribution 36(2):158–175.Google Scholar
28Fotopoulos, Ch. and Krystallis, A. 2002. Purchasing motives and profile of the organic consumer: a countrywide survey. British Food Journal 104(9):730–765.Google Scholar
29Chryssohoidis, Y. and Krystallis, A. 2005. Organic consumers’ personal values research: Testing and validating the list of values (LOV) scale and implementing a value-based segmentation task. Food Quality and Preference 16(7):585–599.Google Scholar
30Beopoulos, N. and Louloudis, L. 1997. Farmers’ acceptance of agri-environmental policy measures: A survey of Greece. South European Society and Politics 2(1):118–137.Google Scholar
31Damianos, D. and Giannakopoulos, N. 2002. Farmers' participation in agri-environmental schemes in Greece. British Food Journal 104(3/4/5):261–273.Google Scholar
32Genius, M., Pantzios, C., and Tzouvelekas, V. 2006. Information acquisition and adoption of organic farming practices. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 31(1):93–113.Google Scholar
33Greene, W.H. 2000. Econometric Analysis. 4th ed. Prentice Hall, New York.Google Scholar
34Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food. 2010. Organic farming statistics. Available at Web site http://www.minagric.gr/index.php/el/for-farmer/biologikgeorgiaktinotrofia/388-statistikabiologika.html (accessed 28 February, 2013).Google Scholar
35Lapple, D. and Donnellan, T. 2009. Adoption and abandonment of organic farming: an empirical investigation of the Irish drystock sector. In Presentation held at the 83rd Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society, Dublin, Ireland, March 30 to April 1, 2009.Google Scholar
36Kaufmann, P., Stagl, S., and Franks, D. 2009. Simulating the diffusion of organic farming practices in two New EU Members States. Ecological Economics 68(10):2580–2593.Google Scholar
37Selfa, T., Jussaume, R. and Winter, M. 2008. Envisioning agricultural sustainability from field to plate: Comparing producer and consumer attitudes and practices toward ‘environmentally friendly’ food and farming in Washington State, USA. Journal of Rural Studies 24(3):262–276.Google Scholar
38Wilson, G.A. 1996. Farmer environmental attitudes and ESA Participation. Geoforum 27(2):115–131.Google Scholar
39Lamin, C. and Bellon, S. 2009. Conversion to organic farming: a multidimensional research object at the crossroads of agricultural and social science. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 29(1):97–112.Google Scholar
40Hair, J., Anderson, J.F., Tatham, R.E., and Black, W.C. 2006. Multivariate Data Analysis. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.Google Scholar
41Vanslembrouck, I., Van Huylenbroeck, G., and Verbeke, W. 2002. Determinants of the willingness of Belgian farmers to participate in agri-environmental measures. Journal of Agricultural Economics 53(3):489–511.Google Scholar
42Quental, N., Lourenco, J.M., and da Silva, F.N. 2011. Sustainable development policy: goals, targets and political cycles. Sustainable Development 19:15–29.Google Scholar
43Tzouramani, Ι., Liontakis, A., Sintori, A., and Alexopoulos, G. Policy implementations for organic agriculture: A real options approach. In Presentation held at the 83rd Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society, Dublin, Ireland, March 30 to April 1, 2009.Google Scholar
44Tzouramani, I., Sintori, A., Liontakis, A., and Alexopoulos, G. 2012. Assessing financial incentives for Greek dairy sheep farmers. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 10(2):493–499.Google Scholar