Environmental grants and regulations in strategic farm business decision-making: A case study of attitudinal behaviour in Scotland

This paper addresses the question of farmer responses to agri-environmental programming in light of the Single Farm Payment, focusing on the role of environmental regulations and grant schemes in strategic farm decision-making. Utilising Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour in a qualitative case study of farmers in Upper Deeside, Scotland, it was found that farmer respondents actively consider environmental regulations and grant opportunities as part of their decision rationale in making investments in farm development, such as agro-industrial building construction or securing additional land. Fulfilling agri-environmental regulations is constructed by respondents as being part of ensuring farm viability, while eligibility for agri-environmental schemes is impacting on how tenanted land is valued. The author identifies three mechanisms facilitating farmer up-take of environmental schemes, and makes a case for consideration of farmers as experts in producing environmental outcomes while maintaining economic sustainability of farming operations.     

Adoption of soil conservation practices in Belgium: An examination of the theory of planned behaviour in the agri-environmental domain

Soil erosion is a problem with serious on-site and off-site consequences. There exists a broad series of measures to mitigate soil erosion, unfortunately policy makers observe little voluntary adoption. This paper reports on a study to elicit the factors explaining adoption of soil erosion control practices in Belgium. Following a socio-psychological approach, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), adoption of cover crops, reduced tillage and buffer strips is evaluated using linear regression techniques. Results show that the most explaining factor is attitude towards the soil conservation practice. The TPB adapted to include perceived control and difficulty appears to provide a suitable framework for evaluating adoption of erosion control measures in Belgium. Future interventions directed at promoting erosion control measures should be directed at changing the attitude of farmers. Further study is, however, required in order to elucidate the cognitive foundations of the negative attitude of a majority of farmers towards the implementation of erosion control practices.     

There is an I in nature: The crucial role of the self in nature conservation

In this paper we analyze the social-psychological determinants of private nature conservation. As a theoretical framework we use the Theory of Planned Behavior, to which the concepts connectedness to nature, self-identity, and place attachment were added. 94 landowners participated in our survey. Results of this pilot study show that perceived behavioral control, self-identity and connectedness to nature are the key factors influencing the intention to conserve. The more farmers feel that they are capable of conserving nature on their farm, the more they see themselves as conservationists, and the more they feel connected to nature, the more likely they are to intend to conserve. An important finding is that self-identity mediates the relation between CNS and conservation intentions. This implies that with an increased connectedness to nature, people come to see themselves as conservationists and this in turn influences their intentions. Of course, these results need to be replicated and validated across different contexts. We discuss the implications of this study for future research and policy.     

Adaptive responses to landscape changes from onshore wind energy development in the Republic of Ireland

Covering 26 years of Irish onshore wind energy development, this article tracks patterns in landscape changes from wind farm construction and identifies adaptive responses in public policy and by stakeholder groups. Wind farms face well-documented challenges with social acceptance due to landscape changes; however, little research has examined interactions between landscape change and social adaptations over the long-term. This article systematically reviews 20 policy documents, undertakes spatio-temporal linear modeling of 212 wind farms using 9 landscape change metrics, and analyzes 5 stakeholder group interviews on adaptive responses to landscape changes. Upward trends occur in turbine height, impact accumulation, placement in agricultural landscapes, construction delays, and new farms built per year. Downward trends occur in the number of turbines per farm, visual disruption of protected areas, and placement in wetlands. Key patterns in stakeholder groups’ adaptations include conflicting interpretations of landscape amenities and evolution, and expanded community outreach, networking, and public participation after exposure to infrastructure. Stakeholders adapt to existing infrastructure separately from adapting strategies to respond to new wind farms. Overall, a mutual relationship emerges wherein landscape changes from wind farms respond to policies and stakeholder activities, while policies and stakeholder groups adapt to the physical realities of landscape change.     

Agricultural and rural development in China during the past four decades: an introduction

The past four decades have witnessed unprecedented economic growth and rapidly rising food demand in China. This paper provides an introduction to readers with useful information summarising the development of China’s agricultural sector and the transformation of its rural economy over the 40 years of economic reform. It is, however, impossible to cover all aspects of this recent and rich history in a single journal special issue. Nevertheless, we are of the view that these papers address the most fundamentally important and insightful topics including: land reform and rural development; technology progress and productivity growth; changing food consumption patterns; rural education and human capital accumulation; and poverty alleviation.     

Changing imbalance: Spatial production of national high-tech industrial development zones in China (1988-2018)

Science parks are popular in most countries of the world. In China they have taken the form of National High-Tech Industrial Development Zones (NHTIDZs), which have demonstrated special spatiotemporal characteristics over the past thirty years. NHTIDZs, as exclusive spaces, epitomize the close relationship between governmental power and urbanization, and have become an organizational form of the production of space. However, little research has been carried out into the spatial production of China’s NHTIDZs. Based on the theory of the production of space, this article designs a framework for identifying the interactions between governmental power, NHTIDZs, and urbanization. We find there are two main characteristics of the changing imbalance between time and space: a rapid and unstable centralizing trend and an extremely uneven spatial distribution. The NHTIDZ, as a spatial organization pattern of urbanization, is dominated by governmental power. Because of rapid spatial expansion and great policy privileges, national-level NHTIDZs have become targets for governments at all levels. The purpose of the central government is to promote urbanization by expanding high-technology zones nationwide; therefore, urbanization in China is becoming a process of spatial production. To help China achieve a better urban-rural integration and sustainable development, policy suggestions for NHTIDZs are recommended.     

黑龙江省农业生产资料与农业经济发展的关联分析

黑龙江省是一个农业大省,农业经济对全省经济的发展起到至关重要的作用,而农业生产资料对农业经济的发展有着巨大的影响作用。应用灰色系统理论中关联分析方法和GM(1,1)预测模型,对黑龙江省农业总产值与农业生产资料之间的关系进行关联分析,在其发展趋势预测的基础上,对黑龙江省农业经济发展的趋势关联分析,进而提出黑龙江省实现农业经济持续发展、科学决策对策建议。     

高质量发展背景下黄河流域节能环保财政支出效率研究

在国家高度重视黄河流域高质量发展和生态环境恢复,以及节能环保财政资金仍然存在约束的背景下,效率提升已经成为优化生态环境的重要驱动力。通过超效率非期望产出模型,测算并分析了2007—2018年黄河流域50个地市的节能环保财政支出效率,结果表明：样本期内黄河流域的节能环保财政支出效率平均值为0.67,约有30%的提升空间,并且呈现平稳、下降、上升3个阶段性特征;从空间上看,黄河“几”字弯右尾部效率值较高,低值区随机分布在流域边缘;节能环保财政支出效率值与地方生产总值并不是同比例增长;城市间节能环保财政支出效率综合值特征分异明显,根据纯技术效率和规模效率的得分可以将其划分为高高、高低、低高以及低低4种类型。提出应促进产业升级、建立流域协同管理体制以及因地制宜地优化资金配置能力、提高预算管理水平等提高节能环保财政支出效率的措施。     

The impact of agricultural policy on farm income concentration: the case of regional implementation of the CAP direct payments in Italy

One of the objectives of agricultural policy worldwide concerns the support of farm income. Common Agricultural Policy direct payments (DPs) are the main instruments to support farm income in the European Union. This article addresses their role in the concentration of farm income. This is done by calculating the Gini coefficient and its disaggregation in a large sample of Italian farms in the period between 2006 and 2007. Although this approach has been used to develop ex‐post analysis in previous studies, this article is innovative given that it is used here in an ex ante analysis aimed at evaluating the likely impact of a recent reform proposal. This latter requests changing the current model to a regional model of DPs application to make payment rates (i.e., payment per hectare) homogeneous among farms in the same region. The analysis shows that DPs and farm incomes are both very concentrated but that DPs allow for an income concentration reduction in Italian farms. The shift to a regional implementation reduces DPs concentration and, to a limited extent, farm income concentration. Of the considered regionalization scenarios, those that redistribute DPs among regions are the most effective in reducing concentration. The extension of the Gini considered approach to an ex ante setting seems effective because it provides insights that could feed the policy debate regarding the forthcoming reform.     

The role of estate agents in the development process: A wider perspective

Summary

The general applicability of the conclusions of McNamara's study of estate agents in the development process (McNamara, 1984), which showed a surprisingly large involvement of such agents with building companies, is questioned by a study involving all types of development in four Conservation Areas in the West Midlands. This paper shows the very restricted activity of estate agents, which may be more typical of the development process in general.     

Reconfiguration of land politics in community resource management areas in Ghana: Insights from the Avu Lagoon CREMA

This study explores the reconfiguration of land politics in a poor rural area of Ghana following the development of a community-based resource management and market-based conservation initiative. In particular we focus on an eco-tourism site that was developed through the Avu Lagoon Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) in Ghana. We adopt a political ecology approach that combines qualitative and quantitative information from multiple sources to explain the nature, drivers and outcomes of this reconfiguration of land politics. In particular we track how different environmental and socioeconomic narratives were mobilized and utilised to justify the establishment of the Avu Lagoon CREMA, and how this gave rise to a series of unmet expectations. The restriction of access to fertile land fit for sugarcane production (a key livelihood activity in the area), combined with the underperformance of the ecotourism project, led to different land contestations, including illicit land transfers and silent repossession through encroachment. We synthesize the main findings through the theory of access and argue that these dynamics follow the reconfiguration of land access, and are reflections of the weak enforcement of CREMA regulations, elite capture of the process, and a lack of proper benefit-sharing mechanisms. From a policy perspective, it is important to give due attention to community participation, payment of compensation, proper benefit-sharing mechanisms and the balance of power between local elites, external organisations and the local communities. Only then would CREMA processes be able to deliver their dual objectives of biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development.     

Beyond the Pampas: Global capital and uneven development in Argentine soybean expansion

The article analyses the social processes introduced by globalization into agrarian production systems. In particular, it explores how capital installs a new agriculture that generates an urban fringe in rural localities. We claim that the expansion of agricultural frontiers is also associated with the rise of new actors, residential changes and transformations in labour markets. The objective is to study the transformation that takes place in the agrarian social structure of a marginal agricultural area. It shows how this transformation leads to new residential behaviour that redefines the local relational system and to a transition from a “peasant” way of life to an urban‐type through the logic of the expulsion of the peasant population and the logic of agribusiness.     

清代赣南的生态与生计--兼析山区商品生产发展之限制

清代赣南山区的人口、土地和土地利用方式之间已经出现了一种相互制约的关系，外部市场的刺激亦无法从根本上改变这一土地利用方式，反而使情况更为严重。这样的生态和生计现实制约了赣南山区商品生产的进一步发展。赣南的例子说明，山区商品生产无法发展的原因不能用落后封建势力的压制来解释，人口、土地及土地利用方式之间的相互制约关系才是山区商品生产不能发展的根本原因．     

Farmers' participation in the Income Stabilisation Tool: Evidence from the apple sector in Italy

The Income Stabilisation Tool (IST), which was recently added to the European Common Agricultural Policy's risk management toolkit, is a mutual fund that aims at stabilising farmers' income. We investigate the drivers of farmers' participation in an IST for the apple sector in the Autonomous Province of Trento in Italy, which is the only region that has operationalised the IST in the European Union. Our analysis is based on a theoretical framework based on the Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology. Using a three-year panel dataset of 3268 farm households, we estimated a logit model with the Mundlak–Chamberlain procedure. Our results show that higher crop production specialisation, associated with greater risk exposure, favours participation in the IST. Similarly, previous experience with mutual funds increases the acceptance of the IST. The analysis also provides evidence of how the new tool interacts with existing on-farm protection strategies, leading to a discussion of the presence of adverse and advantageous selection effects. Our paper sheds light on farmers' acceptance of newly implemented sector-specific ISTs and generates better knowledge and understanding of lock-ins and levers that influence participation in such schemes, which are relevant to other EU regions or member states that are considering the introduction of ISTs.     

农地规模经营对地理标志农业发展的影响研究 ——基于陕西省和山东省6个县的调查

研究目的:以规模经济理论为基础,基于陕西省和山东省6个县的调查数据,实证分析农地规模经营对地理标志农业发展的影响。研究方法:问卷调查法和结构方程模型。研究结果:(1)农地规模经营意愿、农地规模经营政策对地理标志农业发展均具有显著的正向影响,农地标准化生产存在中介效应;(2)农户扩大农地经营面积意愿越强、延长农地流转期限意愿越强、低效农地转出意愿越强、劳动力转移意愿越强,越有利于地理标志农业发展;(3)政府农地政策和资金支持力度越大、农户对农地政策越了解、农业机械和技术劳动力投入力度越大、化肥和农药减量投入越有效,越有利于地理标志农业发展。研究结论:应加快新型农业经营主体发展,使其成为地理标志农业建设的核心力量,实现农地规模化和标准化的共同发展。