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The quantitative understanding of the safe input management practices of vegetable producers is essential for both food safety and environmental protection. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of safe production in vegetable enterprises and examine the key risk factors affecting the safe production of vegetables from the perspective of agricultural inputs.

Based on the theory of risk analysis, a framework of safe vegetable production risk analysis is constructed from the perspective of production input behaviour. Based on 202 valid questionnaires in Beijing, China, this paper identifies direct risks in input management through statistical descriptive analysis; determines weights through an expert elicitation process and calculates weighted safety values accordingly; and finally uses a categorical regression model to explore the indirect risks affecting corporate safety production.

The results show that direct risk factors include seed treatment risk, pesticide and fertilizer use criteria risk, pesticide and fertilizer operation risk, and pesticide application object risk. The production safety value of Beijing's enterprises is found to be high in the north and south regions, and low in the central region. Finally, some indirect risk factors, namely the cognition of agricultural product safety laws, the cognition of pesticide safety intervals, the cognition of prohibited pesticides and the possession of brands, are found to have positive and significant impacts on the safe production behaviour of enterprises.

These findings provide entry points for interventions aimed at reducing dependence on pesticides and fertilizers and promoting input management for safe vegetable production in enterprises, thus avoiding vegetable safety incidents due to improper practices in the production chain.

The study was conducted to investigate the economics of dry season vegetable production in Ogun state, Nigeria.

Descriptive statistics, budgetary technique and regression analysis model were used to analyze the data collected from 120 respondents using multistage sampling technique.

Descriptive statistics showed that while the mean age of the farmers was 62.1 ± 38.78, the mean farming experience was 17.3 ± 12.84. Majority (56.7%) of the respondents were uneducated. Vegetable enterprise in the area was male-dominant. The result of budgetary analysis revealed that the average net and total income were ₦ 55,405.29 and ₦ 131,514, respectively. While the average total variable cost was ₦ 64,767.29, average total cost was ₦ 76,108.70. Benefit cost ratio and rate of returns were 1.73 and 0.73, respectively. The regression analysis revealed that revenue from vegetable production in the study area was influenced by farm size, seed quantity, farming experience, quantity of labor and fertilizer used.

It is therefore imperative for policymakers to encourage dry season vegetable farming as a viable enterprise option for the unemployed and upcoming entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the government should design and implement policies that would improve access to land, labor, quality seed, water and fertilizers.

The study adds to the growing body of literature on inherent prospects for labor and entrepreneurs as regards the opportunities latent in dry season farming activities.

This chapter is an examination of what is meant by the term ‘Good Farmer’ and whether or not this is compatible with being a good businessperson. The term ‘Feckless Farmer’ is introduced to describe someone who is the opposite of a Good Farmer. And all of this is considered with reference to the farmers of the village of Ambridge in the West Midlands, with special emphasis on the practices of Brian Aldridge and his recent issues with contamination of his land and neighbouring watercourses. This work starts by defining key terms before moving on to consider the similarities and differences between farms and other types of businesses. The different philosophical paradigms that can underlie different definitions and practices of a Good Farmer are also explored. The ways that the economies of farms differ from most businesses will also be discussed. With some conclusions being drawn as to whether Mr Aldridge is a Good Farmer or a Feckless one, and if he deserved to be lauded as an award-winning businessperson.

This paper is intended to investigate the economic, organizational and social factors affecting the receipt of advance payment by greenhouse vegetable producers from commission agents operating in the wholesale market.

The data were gathered through questionnaire forms developed for this specific purpose through face-to-face interviews with 180 producers growing greenhouse vegetables in the central district and Serik, Antalya in the Western Mediterranean Region of Turkey. A logistic regression model was employed to analyse the factors affecting the likelihood of greenhouse vegetable growers getting advance from commission agents.

A good financial status of enterprises producing greenhouse vegetables and the fact that their production input needs are met by cooperatives reduce their dependence on commission agents, thereby increasing their bargaining power when selling their products. Since producers can readily meet their need for the capital required for the vegetable production process from commission agents, they do not prefer to borrow from lending institutions making agricultural loans with requirements such as collateral. The fact that greenhouse vegetable farmers receive technical and market information and advice from commission agents strengthens their relationship with them.

It is the first study that evaluates in detail the financial aspect of the relationships between producers and commission agents in the greenhouse vegetables wholesale market. It contributes significantly to agricultural policymakers regarding the functioning of the greenhouse vegetable market, and in particular, the regulations on agricultural loans for production processes.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors influencing adoption of African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) into the agro-pastoral farming systems aiming at improving livelihoods.

The paper is based upon the diffusion theory which is linked to the random utility theory. A survey of 205 agro-pastoral households obtained through multistage sampling technique was used. Factors influencing adoption of AIVs were estimated using a logit model.

Findings indicate that the acreage under AIVs was still very low compared to other crop enterprises with the most common types of AIVs grown being Solanum nigrum, Amaranthus spp., Cucurbita maxima, Vigna unguiculata, Basella alba and Cleome gynandra. Factors influencing adoption were found to be gender, age, farm size, education level, off-farm income and number of visits to extension officer.

Limitations include reliance on respondents’ willingness to provide correct information.

This paper adds value in its contribution to literature on diversifying agro-pastoral livelihoods through production of AIVs for income and food security.

Farmers’ selection of vegetable marketing channels directly affects their income and is important to stable vegetable supply and food control. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the farmers’ selection behavior of vegetable marketing channels, and to determine the key factors which affected farmer’ decision making.

A total of 191 valid questionnaires were collected from 50 villages in seven main vegetable production districts in Beijing urban areas from September to December 2015, yielding a response rate of 86.8 percent. The multinomial logit model was used for analysis in this study.

The results revealed that the farmers mainly selected farmers’ market, cooperative, and wholesaler to sell their vegetables, which comprised 96.57 percent of total vegetable sales. Estimation results showed that cooperative, vegetable acreage, price satisfaction, and slow sales were most important factors which influence positively the probability of opting to sell vegetables at a cooperative rather than at the farmer’s market. For wholesalers, gender of the household head and cooperative had most significantly negative effect, and age had a positive impact on farmer’s choice of market channels.

The results and implications obtained in the present study could help policymakers to establish a scientific-based and reasonable policy to encourage vegetable producers to participate in the circulation of vegetables in Beijing and guarantee their income in vegetable supply chain. The suggestions of this study could also be used for the improvement of the vegetable sector in other cities facing similar issues.

Based on a sample of 308 enterprises, this paper studies the determinants of export organic supply chain performance. The results indicate seven positive determinants that influence positively the supply chain performance, including: (i) need-satisfying ability (NSA), (ii) relationship management, (iii) information management, (iv) quality management, (v) coordination and cooperation mechanisms, (vi) operation management, and (vii) marketing strategy of the export organic supply chain. In contrast, the differentiated segmentation strategy and cost strategy have no impact on the export organic supply chain performance.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theory that is sufficiently adapted to sector competitiveness. The case of greenhouse vegetable production in The Netherlands and Switzerland is used to explain differences in sector competitiveness.

Interviews focusing on the fields of spatial planning, labor, energy supply, and market organization were carried out with stakeholders and producers in both countries and evaluated by Grounded Theory.

The work shows that the flexibility not only of producers, but also of the whole institutional framework in The Netherlands exceeds the flexibility on the Swiss side by far, which may be an important factor for explaining differences in competitiveness.

The result that it is a basic difference in flexibility and adaptability that determines sector competitiveness is valid for the vegetable sector. It should be examined whether similar patterns can be found in other sectors.

The competitiveness discussion is transferred to a new economic level, namely the economic sector. Likewise, new answers are found in looking for explanations for differences in competitiveness.

The article examines the supply chain (SC) in a food industry in Bulgaria. The relations between suppliers and the degree of integration of the activities along with the SC will be studied by building forms of partnerships with suppliers and the areas of cooperation they work in. The relevance of the topic is determined by the increasing pressure exerted by the consumers in terms of quality and safety, caused by the scandals with food products, the regulations concerning the traceability along the SC and providing safety and quality. The purpose of the study, in the present paper, is the theoretical and applied aspects of collaboration along the SC and the use of modern information systems and technologies in the food industry in Bulgaria.

The objectives of the study, in the present paper, are the theoretical and applied aspects of collaboration along the SC and the use of modern information systems and technologies in the food industry in Bulgaria. The subjects of this study are the enterprises of the food industry in Bulgaria. The number of companies surveyed is 93. Small and medium-sized enterprises generate 48.7% of the turnover in the industry and 63% of the employment in the sector. A research survey with structured questionnaire was conducted in the period 2018–2019. The interrelations in the SC are underdeveloped and there is a low degree of integration between the participants in the food industry in Bulgaria. The implementation of information and communications technology (ICT) and blockchains in the SC in the food industry in Bulgaria is at a low level.

The subjects of this study are the enterprises of the food industry in Bulgaria. The number of companies surveyed is 93. Small and medium-sized enterprises generate 48.7% of the turnover in the industry and 63% of the employment in the sector. The sectors which are traditionally included in the food industry are as follows: flour milling, milk processing, meat processing, canning industry and production of dried and canned fruit, vegetables and seeds, fishery, production of sugar and confectionery, chocolate and desserts and production of spices. The present research study does not focus on production of drinks, mineral water bottles and production of alcoholic drinks, as well as production of tea and coffee, bread and bakery products. A research survey with structured questionnaire was conducted in the period 2018–2019. The questions included in the questionnaire helped to study general indicators for the evaluation of the degree of cooperation and the implementation of modern ICT in organizations in the food industry. The first part of the questionnaire included questions related to the general information about organizations, which determines the form of ownership, the existence of foreign participation in the enterprise, the number of settlements where the activity is carried out and geographic distribution of sales in the country and abroad. These questions are important to frame a general characteristic of the studied enterprises.

The study had few limitations, which in turn suggest avenues for further research. This study does not include the production of beverages, mineral water bottles and the production of alcoholic beverages as well as tea and coffee production. With regard to the subject of the study, the article focuses mainly on relations between suppliers and the degree of integration of the activities along the SC, which will be studied by building forms of partnerships with suppliers and the areas of cooperation they work in, while remaining outside the scope of the study themes and challenges in making SCs environmentally sustainable. Although a large amount of data were analyzed, there exists an opportunity to widen this study significantly. The possibilities of omnichannels along the SC in the food chain will be explored first as well as the possibilities for building an omnichannel strategy in the food supply chain.

This study provides insights to manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and managers of the food industry for supply chain management (SCM) and for connections and cooperation with suppliers and partners. The research study provides clarity about the degree of integration in the management of SC and the opportunities for development of the cooperation between the SC participants.

This study reveals for the first time the SC in the food industry in Bulgaria and provides directions for development. This study shows the degree of SCM integration as well as the opportunities for developing cooperation between the actors in the chain.

The demand for clean vegetables has rapidly increased, many farmers gradually turn to vegetable cultivation to increase income; therefore, agricultural cooperative mobilized farmers group to facilitate them access to technical training and enhance compliance with the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) standards. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impacts of the participation on farmer’s income as well as the major factors that affect the participation in cooperatives by the vegetable farmers in Vietnam.

The study used primary data collected from vegetable farmers in Vietnam. This study utilized propensity score matching to avoid initial selection bias. The differences between participants and nonparticipants will be adjusted by matching each membership individual to a nonmember based on similar observable characteristics by summarizing the conditional probability of a member given pretreatment characteristics.

This study demonstrates that participation in cooperatives is significantly affected by ethnicity, age of household head, labor involving vegetable production and extension service access. The results of this study also confirm that agricultural cooperatives have positive effects on member farmers to enhance income and that participants – on average – have a higher income than nonparticipants.

The method cannot rule out the possibility of selection bias due to unobserved differences between participants and even an appropriate comparison group.

This study contributes to an improved understanding about impacts of cooperatives on farmers’ income in developing and emerging economies. Moreover, research also upgrades knowledge regarding the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam, as well as guides policymakers in supporting the cooperatives in expanding the market and other necessary changes.