Causes of Changes in Agricultural Employment in Slovenia: Evidence from Micro‐data

This paper analyses labour adjustment in and out of agriculture during transition to a market economy. A multinomial logit model is used to determine the factors that affect these processes. The results show that elderly, less educated and full‐time employees on a farm are more likely to continue with farming. Inflow of labour into agriculture is largely associated with the unemployment and retirement of farm household members. Age, education and investment in human capital are the key factors that improve the quality, mobility and flexibility of labour, which is crucial for efficient labour adjustment at the micro‐level and sector level. Better‐educated individuals are more likely to enter into employment in non‐agricultural, particularly service, activities.     

The Stability and Instability of Organic Expenditures in Denmark,Great Britain,and Italy

This article concerns demand for organic foods in 3 European countries: Denmark, Great Britain, and Italy. Based on extensive sets of household panel data we categorize households into 4 groups according to their levels of organic consumption. Importance of sociodemographics is estimated by applying multinomial logit models. In all 3 countries a high organic consumption is mainly found among the more well-situated households in urban areas. Although the relative size of the user groups is fairly stable over time, we find variation in the organic consumption of individual households.     

东北地区粮食型农户家庭农场经营风险认知的影响因素分析

［目的］东北地区作为维护国家粮食安全的“压舱石”,准确而系统地掌握东北地区粮食型农户家庭农场经营风险认知水平,为政府部门精准实施粮食型农户家庭农场配套扶持政策提供参考。［方法］文章利用黑龙江、吉林、辽宁3省301个粮食型农户家庭农场调研数据,运用交叉列表和多元有序logit模型分析家庭农场经营风险认知水平及其影响因素。［结果］（1）6312%的粮食型家庭农场有一定风险认知能力,土地经营面积在333~1333hm2（50~200亩）与1333~3333hm2（200~500亩）的家庭农场风险认知处于中等水平, 3333hm2（500亩）以上家庭农场经营风险认知低; （2）玉米种植型家庭农场风险认知水平高于水稻种植型家庭农场; （3）年龄、是否村干部、劳动力数量、土地经营规模、是否有自然灾害、农产品市场价格波动、是否“三品一标”认证、金融支持、农推人员技术指导和新型经营主体间合作稳定对东北地区粮食型农户家庭农场经营风险认知有影响。［结论］应培养家庭农场主个人特质,鼓励支农惠农政策向规模适度的家庭农场倾斜,从流程入手提高家庭农场风险防范能力。     

我国天然橡胶种植户生产行为的影响因素分析——基于橡胶价格持续低迷的背景

[目的]通过分析在天然橡胶价格持续低迷背景下种植户的生产行为,从农户及家庭特征、生产特征、市场因素和政策因素4个方面选取16项指标,研究影响天然橡胶种植户生产行为的因素。[方法]选取2015年在天然橡胶主植区云南、海南的农户调研数据,运用多元Logit模型分析天然橡胶种植户生产行为改变的影响因素。[结果]种植户生产行为选择降低和提高割胶频率是种植户权衡各类因素追求利益最大化而产生的不同行为模式,其中橡胶收入占比、种植年限、投入肥料变化、雇工割胶、生产成本、后期价格态度、补贴满意度、收益满意度8项因素对种植户选择降低割胶频率具有显著影响;受教育子女数量、种植规模、雇工割胶、是否享受补贴4项因素对种植户选择提高割胶频率具有显著影响。[结论]天然橡胶种植户的生产行为受多种因素共同作用,并且天然橡胶价格持续低迷破坏了天然橡胶产业的可持续发展。     

Modeling farmers’ decisions on tea varieties in Vietnam: a multinomial logit analysis

This article analyzes households’ choice on tea varieties in Vietnam by using a multinomial logit model. The modeling takes into account the issue of unobserved individual heterogeneity and the endogeneity of some explanatory variables (use of chemical and organic fertilizers). The results show that important factors influencing the decision to adopt one type of tea varieties include income, age, household size, farming contract, and use of organic fertilizers, but also membership of professional associations such as the Tea Association and the Farmers Union.     

A Conjoint/Logit Analysis of Consumers’ Responses to Genetically Modified Tofu in Taiwan

We use data collected from a consumer survey of face‐to‐face interviews to determine consumer demand for genetically modified (GM) tofu attributes in Taiwan. Conjoint analysis using logit models reveals that, on average, brand is the most important attribute in terms of influence on consumers’ preferences, followed by price, with GM content having the least influence. However, the analysis also reveals three distinct market segments for tofu. Apart from the largest segment (which reflects the average lack of concern about GM food), the remaining two segments are split according to their preference or antipathy towards GM tofu. This result suggests that GM labelling is helpful to Taiwanese tofu consumers.     

Willingness to Pay for Rural Landscape Improvements: Combining Mixed Logit and Random‐Effects Models

This paper reports the findings from a discrete‐choice experiment designed to estimate the economic benefits associated with rural landscape improvements in Ireland. Using a mixed logit model, the panel nature of the dataset is exploited to retrieve willingness‐to‐pay values for every individual in the sample. This departs from customary approaches in which the willingness‐to‐pay estimates are normally expressed as measures of central tendency of an a priori distribution. Random‐effects models for panel data are subsequently used to identify the determinants of the individual‐specific willingness‐to‐pay estimates. In comparison with the standard methods used to incorporate individual‐specific variables into the analysis of discrete‐choice experiments, the analytical approach outlined in this paper is shown to add considerable explanatory power to the welfare estimates.     

农户林权抵押贷款意愿及其影响因素分析——基于林业生产性融资需求的视角

利用四川省5个省级集体林权制度改革试点县(区)32个村508个农户调查数据,运用Logit模型对农户林权抵押贷款意愿及其影响因素进行实证分析。研究表明,在现行林权抵押贷款制度安排下,农户的性别、受教育年限、是否担任过村干部、非农就业人数比重、是否获得过信用贷款、投资风险承受能力、林木林产品销售比例、是否与企业签订购销合同和政府的支持等因素对农户林权抵押贷款意愿有显著影响。     

Using choice experiments to value catchment and estuary health in Tasmania with individual preference heterogeneity*

Choice experiments (CE) have become widespread as an approach to environmental valuation in both Australia and overseas. However, there are few valuation studies that have addressed natural resource management (NRM) changes in Tasmania. Furthermore, few studies have focussed on the estimation of estuary values. The CE study described in this paper aims to analyse community preferences for NRM options in the George catchment, Tasmania. Catchment health attributes were: the length of native riverside vegetation; the number of rare native animal and plant species in the George catchment; and area of healthy seagrass beds in the Georges Bay, which was used as a measure of estuary condition. Mixed logit models with interactions between socio‐economic variables and the choice attributes were estimated to account for systematic and random taste heterogeneity across respondents. Results reveal considerable variation in preferences towards the attributes and show that value estimates are significantly impacted by the way in which we account for preference heterogeneity. Preference heterogeneity thus needs to be considered when estimating community willingness‐to‐pay for environmental changes. This study further shows little responsiveness to the presented changes in estuary seagrass area.     

Food values and heterogeneous consumer responses to nanotechnology

Agricultural applications of nanotechnology are at a relatively early stage and little is known about consumer responses to the technology. Canadian consumer responses to food nanotechnology are examined through the lens of the Food Value Scale. Data from a survey of Canadian consumers are used to evaluate the relative importance of eleven food values to food purchase decisions. We find that taste, safety, nutrition, and price are among the most important food values to Canadians, however, consumers exhibit considerable heterogeneity with respect to the priority placed on these values. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) explores the effect of food values on choice behavior. The DCE is positioned as a sliced apple product with non-browning and antioxidant-enhanced features introduced through the use of nanocoating or a conventional coating method. Random parameters logit (RPL) and latent class models (LCM) confirm the existence of significant preference heterogeneity. The LCM identifies three classes of consumers: “supporters,” “doubters,” and “opponents” who differ in their reaction to nanotechnology and in the relative importance placed on food values such as naturalness, novelty, and convenience. The analysis shows that food values provide additional insights into consumers’ food choices and their attitudes toward novel food technologies.