Search results

1 – 10 of over 2000
Book part
Publication date: 10 August 2017

Deborah Sick

This chapter examines changes in smallholder agriculture in terms of processes of de-agrarianization in a rapidly changing regional economy of Costa Rica long characterized by…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter examines changes in smallholder agriculture in terms of processes of de-agrarianization in a rapidly changing regional economy of Costa Rica long characterized by small-scale commercial coffee farming.

Methodology

The study is based on multiple periods (1990–1991, 1993, 2006, 2010–2012) of ethnographic research on household economic strategies among farming families in two districts in the canton of Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica.

Findings

Though occupational multiplicity and non-farm-based livelihoods are on the rise, smallholder agriculture continues to play a substantial role in the livelihood strategies of both young and old and in the regional economy, not in spite of these trends, but because an expanding business sector and an increase in non-farm employment opportunities are creating a demand for agricultural produce and providing new opportunities for smallholders to diversify agricultural production, stabilize their incomes and maintain a significant presence in the regional economy. Specific historic conditions and state policies have been important factors in shaping rural economic change, livelihood strategies and smallholder agriculture in this region.

Research limitations

Sample sizes are relatively small and some data on children’s economic activities were obtained second hand from siblings and/or parents.

Implications

This research has implications for policy makers, planners and social activists interested in agrarian change.

Originality/value

This research provides an important longitudinal lens on the economic strategies of farming households, processes of de-agrarianization and the persistence of small-scale family farmers in today’s world.

Details

Anthropological Considerations of Production, Exchange, Vending and Tourism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-194-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 17 November 2005

Norman Long and Bryan Roberts

The chapter identifies key components of the new patterns of farming and rural livelihoods emerging in Latin America in the twenty-first century. By the beginning of the…

Abstract

The chapter identifies key components of the new patterns of farming and rural livelihoods emerging in Latin America in the twenty-first century. By the beginning of the millennium, most rural areas of Latin America had become integrated into global agricultural commodity networks that curtail the opportunities for small-scale, family-based farming and result in two predominant types of production, the corporate large-scale enterprise suited to oils seeds and their derivatives, cattle or vegetables for processing and the smaller commercially oriented farm producing market garden products, fruits and wine. Both types of farms often form part of commodity networks organized by domestic intermediaries, large-scale supermarket chains, such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour, and foreign food marketers. In addition to the multiplication of external commercial linkages, high levels of urbanization have increasingly blurred the distinction between the rural and the urban. Off-farm work, including international labor migration, is now an important source of rural livelihoods. This context means that research needs to address the multiple interfaces that now connect the different types of rural inhabitants with a wide range of external actors.

Details

New Directions in the Sociology of Global Development
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-373-0

Book part
Publication date: 30 May 2013

Dionisio Ortiz-Miranda, Ana Moragues-Faus and Eladio Arnalte-Alegre

This concluding chapter presents a transversal reading of some key elements of Mediterranean agriculture and its pathways of transformation, in part under the lens of main…

Abstract

This concluding chapter presents a transversal reading of some key elements of Mediterranean agriculture and its pathways of transformation, in part under the lens of main theoretical paradigms, where, as the first section discuss, it has had a peripheral character. In this regard, the chapter tackles the impure nature (where allegedly productivist and non-productivist dynamics coalesce) of some agricultural pathways, at both the farm and the territorial levels. As it is discussed later, this relates to the role played by policies and the way Mediterranean decision-makers mediate EU regulations. Subsequently, three interwoven dimensions of the recent evolution of Mediterranean agriculture are analysed: the dynamics of family farming and the role played by family networks, the position of migrants in the evolution of agriculture and some hypothesis and clues about the implications of the current economic crisis for Southern farming systems. In the two last sections, the chapter ends discussing the theoretical and policy challenges posed by Mediterranean small-scale farming systems.

Details

Agriculture in Mediterranean Europe: Between Old and New Paradigms
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-597-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 October 2014

Stefan Mann

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that societies, when becoming wealthier, are increasingly less concerned with the efficiency of their farms. It is to show that…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that societies, when becoming wealthier, are increasingly less concerned with the efficiency of their farms. It is to show that and why small family farms are a good which citizens aim to preserve.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural change between 2000 and 2010 in two rather wealthy European Union (EU)-member countries and two very wealthy European (non-EU) countries is compared and explained by socioeconomic variables.

Findings

The reason for the difference between Germany and Austria on one side and Norway and Switzerland on the other is strong political support in the latter countries where structural change is slowing down. A framework is outlined for why a preference for small family farms may emerge in a wealthy society.

Originality/value

Structural change in this paper is reconstructed as a function of political preferences, being again a function of state of economic development.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 41 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 April 2023

Jingguang Ge and Leiming Li

Family farms are seen as a powerful force for rural development, and they are gaining more and more research attention. This study aims to explore the relationship between the…

Abstract

Purpose

Family farms are seen as a powerful force for rural development, and they are gaining more and more research attention. This study aims to explore the relationship between the social networks of family farms and the dual innovation of the family farm business model from the perspective of entrepreneurial orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a questionnaire survey of 169 family farms in Qingdao, China, descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The study hypothesis was tested using inferential tests (regression analysis).

Findings

The study results show that innovative, efficiency- and novelty-based business models facilitated by social networks have a favorable and significant impact on the performance of family farms. Furthermore, the relationship between social networks and new business model creation is positively influenced by an entrepreneurial orientation.

Originality/value

This study is distinctive in that it examines the mechanisms underlying family farm growth from an entrepreneurial standpoint, classifying family farm social networks for the first time into social, market and governmental categories and looking at their impact on the creation of new business models. In addition, it looks into the relationship between the innovation and social network aspect of the family farm business model from an entrepreneurial perspective, offering fresh insight into this connection. It also examines the family farm business model’s connection to innovation and social networks from an entrepreneurial standpoint, providing new insight into this relationship.

Article
Publication date: 14 March 2008

Štefan Bojnec and Laure Latruffe

The aim of this paper is to investigate technical, scale, allocative and economic efficiencies by data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier methods to provide a…

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to investigate technical, scale, allocative and economic efficiencies by data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier methods to provide a decision‐making tool and managerial implications in the measurement of farm business performance and efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

Technical, scale, allocative and economic efficiencies are analyzed with the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) sample for 13 farm business branches in Slovenia in the period 1994‐2003. DEA models are used with an output‐orientation, three outputs and four inputs. The non‐parametric DEA estimations are compared with a parametric stochastic frontier approach. The cluster analysis is used to identify three different farm business groups according to their performance.

Findings

The average technical, scale, allocative and economic efficiencies for the whole FADN sample over the analyzed period are relatively high (around or over 0.90), suggesting that, although the FADN sample contains very different farms, the latter have similar management practices, and are similarly able to make the best use of the existing technology. Five farm branches (crop, dairy, livestock using own feed, fruit, and forestry) are fully efficient with respect to all four analyzed efficiency measures, suggesting that these specializations have the best chance to compete on the European and world markets.

Originality/value

Studies of technical, scale, allocative and economic efficiencies are rare for transitional farm businesses, especially in Slovenia. The research contributes to the crucial issue of whether small family farm businesses might be able to compete on international markets, as Slovenian agriculture is characterized by such structures.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 108 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 May 2013

Charalambos Kasimis and Apostolos G. Papadopoulos

A series of changes have taken place over the past 20 years that have transformed the face of rural Greece. At the heart of these changes have been the rural farm household and…

Abstract

A series of changes have taken place over the past 20 years that have transformed the face of rural Greece. At the heart of these changes have been the rural farm household and the European agricultural and rural development policies.The processes of de-agriculturalization and rural restructuring in the early 1990s have been accompanied by ‘rurbanization’ and socio-economic integration of rural populations. These interrelated processes have internally transformed the rural areas, thus forming a ‘new rurality’ characterized by contraction of agriculture, expansion of tourism and construction, increased pluriactivity, increased employment of international migrant labour and the reorganization of farm family labour and operation. However, in the environment of economic crisis, the conditions of the ‘new rurality’ have been affected by falling incomes, contraction of public services and by a ‘back to the land’ movement. This ‘reverse mobility’ has the elements of both modernity and tradition: engagement with new methods of organization and work and rediscovery of traditional crops, products and cultures.The chapter will discuss the characteristics and dynamics of the changing physiognomy of rural Greece in the past 20 years focusing upon three paths: the de-agriculturalization of the countryside, the perplexity of rural mobilities and rural resilience during the economic crisis. The chapter moves from a theoretical analysis of these paths to a detailed account of secondary sources on the transformation of agriculture and the countryside in Greece before it discusses the implications of the crisis upon the population movements and the ‘rediscovery’ of the economic, social and cultural values of rurality.

Details

Agriculture in Mediterranean Europe: Between Old and New Paradigms
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-597-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 February 2022

Lamisse Khairallah, Mabelle Chedid, Lina Jaber, Giuliano Martiniello and Shady K. Hamadeh

Small-scale goat farming and dairy goat productions are significant constituents in the livelihoods of marginal Lebanese rural communities. Reviving and supporting that sector is…

Abstract

Purpose

Small-scale goat farming and dairy goat productions are significant constituents in the livelihoods of marginal Lebanese rural communities. Reviving and supporting that sector is instrumental in creating value for rural communities to build sustainable livelihoods and safeguard climate-adapted value chains (VCs). The paper aims to describe the dairy goat VC in the Shouf and West Bekaa (WB) areas of Lebanon, which are traditionally popular for caprine production.

Design/methodology/approach

A socio-economic approach was employed to determine the perceived challenges, opportunities and context of goat farmers and dairy processor in the Shouf and WB casas as case studies, using the Heifer International's toolkit for goat value chains. Questionnaires were developed for the five actors of the VC: farmer, milk collector, processor, retailer and consumer. The data were analyzed quantitatively, using simple statistical analysis, and qualitatively through observation, gathering, coding and thematically organizing the responses.

Findings

In the Shouf, the chain is shorter, consisting of a farmer, processor and consumer, while in the WB the VC includes a milk collector and larger dairy factories. The value is unequally and unfairly distributed among the actors putting the small-scale farmers and processors in subordinate positions. In terms of enabling environment, the role of the state, authorities and organizations remains minimal in supporting the sector. The challenges facing this sector are economic, regulatory, operational, social and hygienic as perceived by the participants.

Research limitations/implications

The economic, political and social instability of the country hinders the performance of the sector.

Originality/value

Limited research is available on the small ruminants' VC in Lebanon, addressing the socio-economic status of goat farmers and opportunities available in the sector. On the other hand, the demand for traditional dairy products is increasing amid rising concerns related to intensive livestock systems and negative association of livestock systems with climate change. Accordingly, basic assessment and research on the existing small ruminant dairy chains is important as a first step for the sustainable development of the sector.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 June 2023

Štefan Bojnec and Imre Fertő

This article aims to investigate the financial constraints and nonlinearity of farm size growth.

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to investigate the financial constraints and nonlinearity of farm size growth.

Design/methodology/approach

Farm size growth is measured with land, labor and output using data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) for Hungary and Slovenia. A dynamic panel model is applied to assess financial constraints and nonlinearity of farm size growth.

Findings

Results show that, except for land in Slovenia and output in Hungary, liquidity constraints are less important for farm size growth than endogenous factors based on farm size growth expectations and steady farm size restructuring. Smaller farms are growing faster than larger ones. The hypothesis that a higher level of subsidies would increase farm size is not supported for Hungary. When farms reach a certain size, the land area of the largest farms increases. Farm debts in Hungary are linked with land growth and in Slovenia with output growth.

Research limitations/implications

Further research on the impact of liquidity constraints and subsidies can be conducted at a disaggregate farm-type level to examine whether there is variability in the underlying interlinkages at the farm-type specialization level.

Practical implications

The implication that farm size growth is dependent on initial size and that smaller farms are growing faster than bigger ones indicates that it is not necessary to favor the fastest growing smaller farms thus supports the application of a non-discriminatory farm size policy for observing farm size structural changes.

Originality/value

The dynamic panel econometric model that incorporates cash flow as a measure of financial constraints provides insight into farm size growth in cross-country comparison in relation to potential farm liquidity constraints, farm debt and the nonlinearity of farm size, which information is of relevance to policy makers and practitioners.

Details

Journal of Advances in Management Research, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0972-7981

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 October 2020

Rike Stotten

By examining a case study in Tyrol, Austria, the paper aims to demonstrate the role of farm diversification and the influence of the peasants’ habitus on social-ecological…

1943

Abstract

Purpose

By examining a case study in Tyrol, Austria, the paper aims to demonstrate the role of farm diversification and the influence of the peasants’ habitus on social-ecological resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a field study conducted in two remote villages of the Ötztal valley, Austrian Alps, this study provides insights into the interplay of tourism and farming and its impact on farm resilience. Qualitative narrative interviews, the so-called farm biographies, served to investigate these issues. Interpretations of data are based on qualitative content analysis.

Findings

The results highlight that farming and tourism are highly enmeshed in the case study area and that the additional income creates room for manoeuvre for the farms to activate their adaptive capability. At the same time, peasant values guide the farming activities. The farms in this study demonstrate a strong farm resilience that is enabled by farm diversification and rooted in their peasant habitus. This positively affects the social-ecological resilience.

Originality/value

In contrast to other studies, which have mainly applied the concepts of social or community resilience to investigate the resilience and vulnerability of rural areas, this study highlights the resilience of farms in mountain areas.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 48 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 2000