福建中小企业开拓北美有机茶市场的问题及对策

阻碍福建中小企业开拓北美有机茶市场的主要问题是资金短缺、缺乏绿色认证信息以及不了解贸易伙伴和消费者的情况 ,本文针对这些问题进行探讨并提出解决问题的方案。     

Watershed-based dryland farming

In light of the critical need to provide greater efficiency and stability in rainfed agriculture, the authors set out the benefits of a watershed-based development approach to dryland farming. Referring principally to peninsular India, they describe various available dryland techniques useful in a watershed to enable farmers to conserve rainfall and increase productivity. They recommend governmental action to plan and coordinate the development approach they describe.     

Factors Influencing Organic and Fair Trade Coffee Growers Level of Engagement with Cooperatives: The Case of Coffee Farmers in Mexico

We study the factors influencing the percentage of organic and fair trade certified coffee sold through a cooperative by growers of five cooperatives in Mexico. The percentage of coffee sold through the cooperative was used as a proxy of growers’ engagement with a cooperative. Using factor analysis and a fractional probit regression, we evaluated the proposition that the level of engagement can be explained by transaction cost economics, social norms and connections, and farmer and farm business characteristics. We found that farm size, uncertainty regarding cooperative time of payment to the members and cooperative commitment on price to be paid negatively influence the level of engagement. In contrast, asset specificity, relational commitment, and price have a positive impact on engagement. Our results may help cooperatives and policy makers to build strategies aiming to increase this level of engagement. This is relevant because lower grower engagement has been found to be positively correlated with weak performing cooperatives.     

Stimulating organic farming via publicly provided services and an auction-based subsidy

Governments generally use a mix of temporary hectare paymentsand provision of public services to stimulate the organic cropsector. In this paper, a conceptual model is developed for determininga socially optimal hectare payment for any given level of publicservices. Farm heterogeneity, due to the variability of soilquality and management skills, is explicitly taken into account.Using an nth price auction mechanism, farmers indicate whattheir reservation subsidy is for a given level of public inputprovision. The results of this auction are used to determinethe government's optimal policy choices.     

How do producer organisations enhance farmers’ empowerment in the context of fair trade certification?

ABSTRACT

In the fair trade (FT) coffee sector, collective dynamics are viewed as a prerequisite for empowerment. The question of whether and how collective organisations empower farmers in the context of FT has yet to be fully explored. Using the concepts of collective agency and empowerment, this paper analyses the case of four farmers’ groups involved in two FT certified producer organisations in Peru. The results show that collective dynamics are drivers of change in this context oand help provide a ‘power to’ change coffee-related activities. They also generate a sense of ‘power with’, which improves group visibility and capacity to build new partnerships. Farmers gain the opportunity to develop their livelihood activities and women farmers develop ‘power from within’. TDespite that, collective action still focuses primarily on coffee and members-only projects. Inclusive rural development depends on extending ‘power with’ to other agricultural domains and to networks in the social and economic spheres.     

Methodologies for the Comparison of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

The development of organic farming inmany parts of the world has depended upon a critical comparison with other, largely conventional, production systems. This paper attempts to review the methods used for such comparisons and to highlight their advantages and disadvantages. Conclusions are that classic experimentation has a valuable part to play but that more qualitative assessment can also be useful and should be encouraged. Careful allowance should bemade formajor background differences in farm management when making comparisons. Longer-term case studies, which try to monitor organic systems in their own right, should also be considered and which utilise models to help rationalise complex data where appropriate.     

Economic Meltdown in Malaysia

Abstract

The economic downturn in Malaysia has encouraged a debate on the benefits of its export-oriented industrialisation strategy. There is renewed interest in the agricultural and livestock sectors. One of the beneficiaries of this policy change could be the dairy farming sector. Using desktop research and ‘key-informant’ techniques, this study reviews various factors that could influence the development of the dairy farming sector in Malaysia. The study concludes that the (a) Government may encourage the start-up of integrated plantation crop, animal feed and livestock farms, (b) investment and trade linkages with neighbouring countries could lead to diversification of import sources, and (c) consumption of dairy products may have matured, leading to increases in dairy self-sufficiency. It is postulated that these developments will produce a dynamic environment and significant threats to the interests of traditional dairy exporting countries.     

International Marketing of Organic Foods: Consumers,Standards, and Harmonization

Differing technical standards can be barriers to international trade. Harmonizing standards is one means of removing barriers to trade. It is argued in this article that international harmonization may not be welfare enhancing if consumers have a strong attachment to their domestic standards. Standards for organic products differ among countries and act as a barrier to trade. International harmonization has been proposed. Consumers were surveyed in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to determine their likely attachment to existing domestic organic standards. The results suggest that consumers, even those with a preference for organic foods, have little understanding of their domestic standards and only weakly identify with them. As a result, harmonization could be pursued. Agribusiness firms that are interested in harmonization to expand their access to export markets should promote the development of a new international standard rather than harmonization to one of the existing domestic standards.