Analysing the provision of agricultural public goods: The case of irrigated olive groves in Southern Spain

Analysis of the joint production of private and public goods (PGs) by farming activities is a fertile research field. These joint production processes are typically characterised by a high level of complexity derived from the intense relationship between the production of both kinds of outputs. An integrated approach is strongly recommended for the study of the provision of agricultural PGs and the design of public intervention in this sector. Here, we propose a theoretical framework to apply an integrated approach using the analytic network process (ANP) to analyse the production of PGs by agricultural systems to support public decision-making concerning the design and implementation of agricultural policies. We introduce a novel approach in applying ANP along both directions of the influences among elements, allowing us to identify the most influenced PGs and the farmers’ most influential decisions. This methodological approach is empirically applied to a particular farming system: the irrigated olive groves (IOG) of Southern Spain. Results show that the PGs most influenced by olive growers’ decisions are soil fertility, the visual quality of agricultural landscapes and farmland biodiversity. In addition, the most influential factors affecting the provision of PGs are the structural ones, namely farm size and tree density, and, to a lesser extent, management factors dealing with fertilisation, soil and irrigation management. These results are useful for supporting agricultural policy decision-making to enhance adequate management of this farming system regarding PGs production.     

Local compensation payments for agri-environmental externalities: a panel data analysis of bargaining outcomes

We analyse local compensation payments made to farmers for providinglandscape amenities in Alpine tourist communities. These paymentsresult from political bargaining at the municipal level. Paneldata estimation shows that the probability of introducing compensationpayments depends positively on the benefits of landscape amenities.Although no impact of service provision cost is found, transactioncosts at different levels of the bargaining process reduce theprobability of payments. Compensation payments mainly occurin communities where the provision of agricultural landscapeservices is perceived as relatively low and the diversity ofthe countryside seems to be endangered. We argue that municipalcompensation payments are an important supplement to nationaland European Union policy measures in support of less-favouredareas.     

The Effect of Off-farm Work on the Intensity of Agricultural Production

Changes in agricultural production methods have been associated with environmental pressure and a loss of natural habitats. This paper explores the extent to which farmer participation in off-farm work (an increasing phenomenon in most developed countries) changes the intensity of agricultural input use focusing, in particular, on fertilizer and crop protection product use. A sample selection model that accounts for both unobserved heterogeneity between farms and the potential simultaneity between farm operations and hours worked off-farm is estimated for 2,419 farms in England and Wales. The econometric evidence indicates that the input intensity of products which have well-established links to environmental damage can increase as well as decrease. The results suggest that that fertilizer intensity may decline as off-farm labor increases while the use of crop protection per hectare increases as off-farm work increases.     

Sustainability and multifunctionality of protected designations of origin of olive oil in Spain

Agrarian systems provide sociocultural and environmental externalities, which contribute to the sustainability of rural areas. The aim of this article is to analyse the sustainability of some Spanish olive oil Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) through multicriteria techniques (Analytical Network Process), taking into consideration different farming systems. The analysis has been made through ten criteria grouped in three clusters: economic, environmental and socio-cultural and asked experts. This was done first to rank the criteria and second in terms of what type of farming system achieves these criteria better. According to the results, there is a high level of consensus regarding the criteria ranking and the way that farming systems contribute to agrarian multifunctionality and sustainable development, despite the different characteristics of PDOs. In all cases, organic farming is the best, followed by integrated farming, when achieving economic, environmental and socio-cultural criteria, except for Estepa (where integrated farming is preferred for the economic and socio-cultural criteria). Conventional farming is placed in third position when achieving all functions, except for the environmental criteria, for which abandonment is preferred to conventional farming in all PDOs. Multifunctionality and sustainability are maximized by a combination of farming systems: about 40% organic, 35% integrated, 20% conventional and 5% crop abandonment.The results of our model regarding the combination of farming systems are similar to the actual situation in the PDOs studied, and, more important, this has been achieved thanks to the PDO institutions. Good local institutions contribute to improve the sustainability of rural areas by encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship (especially in PDOs, triggered by Origin Designation Regulator Councils) and a European level, by paying farmers for externalities.     

Impact of Rural Tourism Operated by Retiree Farmers on Multifunctionality: Evidence from Chiba,Japan

This paper examines the roles and significance of rural tourism activity undertaken by those farmers who have retired from non-farming jobs from a multifunctional perspective in Chiba, Japan. The results revealed that rural tourism activities by retirees could realize efficient and sustainable resource utilization of the farm and therefore enhance multifunctionality of agriculture. The main findings were the following. (1) The farming style of the study farm is small production of multiple products all year round, which increases opportunities for farming and farm-life experiences by local school children and urban visitors, although this type of farming was not respected from a productivity-oriented farming perspective. (2) Providing farming experience services makes it possible to utilize unused resources, including obsolete farming techniques, in the farmyard. (3) All of these activities promote multifunctionality not only in terms of environmental functions such as land preservation, landscape formation and biodiversity, but also cultural and social functions such as recreational and educational functions. These results indicate that multifunctionality is not in parallel with the low productivity of retiree farmers and that rural tourism will be an effective and recommended activity for those farm-oriented people who have retired from non-farming occupations.     

Assessing the sustainability of agritourism in the US: a comparison between agritourism and other farm entrepreneurial ventures

Diversifying on-farm enterprise portfolios, especially through agritourism, is claimed to increase farm revenues and help alleviate the economic problems of family farms. Thus, the adoption of agritourism in the US has steadily increased during recent years. Agritourism is also suggested to produce environmental and sociocultural benefits. To quantify these benefits, this study assessed the sustainability of agritourism farms, compared with other farm entrepreneurial ventures, using the “sustainable development” and “farm enterprise diversification” frameworks. Data from 873 US farms with a diversified entrepreneurial portfolio revealed that agritourism farms approach sustainability to a greater extent than their counterparts, producing multiple environmental, sociocultural and economic benefits for their farms, households and even society. Results suggest that agritourism, compared with other farm entrepreneurial ventures, is more successful in increasing farm profits, creating jobs and conserving the natural and cultural heritage. For example, 52.4% of agritourism farms have been within the same family for at least two generations and 73.3% are willing to pass the farm on to their children, proportions that are significantly higher than other entrepreneurial farms. Study results also show, however, that while many agritourism farms practice integrated pest management, they need to be more engaged in other environmentally friendly and conservation practices.     

Debating the Multifunctionality of Agriculture: From Trade Negotiations to Development Policies by the South

The process of economic liberalization that began in the late 1980s has had profound repercussions on the situation of agriculture in developing countries. Market instability, aggravated competition and asymmetry between agents linked to the emergence of big transnational companies have led to greater economic risks for farmers and disparities between countries and within every national situation. In such a context, the emergence of a debate in Europe on the multifunctional character of agriculture and on its economic, social and environmental roles may seem a far cry from the concrete situations of the countries of the South, which have no resources to pay for the other functions of their agriculture. Moreover, this difficulty is intensified by the fact that the debate has been placed within the context of the WTO negotiations, which has led to the pro- and anti-multifunctionality groups taking up a more radical stance. Nevertheless, the multifunctional view of agriculture does appear to be a plausible approach. It offers the possibility of going beyond the questions concerning productivity and market competitiveness towards establishing a debate in terms of strategies for sustainable development, in which the place and roles of agriculture can be thought out. Multifunctionality, founded on objectives negotiated at the local level, does seem to present an opportunity for numerous countries of the South to pursue their public policies on a new basis.     

基于熵权可拓物元模型的土地利用多功能性诊断

目的 文章通过对土地利用多功能性进行合理划分,从经济、社会、生态三个方面出发确定15个指标诊断安徽省土地利用多功能性状况,以加强安徽省土地利用多功能性分析的准确性,为促进区域土地利用的可持续发展提供依据。方法 构建土地利用多功能性评价指标体系,采用熵权可拓物元模型和障碍度模型对2006—2016年安徽省土地利用多功能性进行诊断研究。结果 2006—2016年安徽省土地利用多功能性在不断改善,经历“差—一般—良好”的等级演变过程,但2016年呈现出的“良好”等级状态并不稳定;历年来制约安徽省土地利用多功能性的障碍因子主要是城市污水处理率、就业率、人均GDP、城市化水平、产业结构、单位耕地农药负荷、单位耕地化肥负荷和人均水资源量,目前最主要的是教育投资强度不足,应进一步加强教育方面投入。结论 熵权可拓物元模型可以在对各指标综合质量信息进行分析的基础上反映其稳定程度,障碍度模型进一步对主要障碍因子障碍度进行诊断,能够揭示土地利用多功能性存在的具体问题,对其评价具有一定的适用性。