Volume 118 - Issue 2

In this paper the impact of selected determinants on farm succession in Poland is analysed. The study shows that socio-demographic factors associated primarily with the characteristics of families, particularly of farm managers, had a significant infl uence on the family transfers of agricultural holdings. The impact of micro-economic and spatial factors on farm succession was observed as well. However, the research results indicate different scales and characters of succession determinants. Behind this variability was an institutional change linked to Poland’s accession to the European Union and changes in the economy. The paper argues that this context, along with conducive social and legal background, reinforced a generational change in the sector. Analysis at the micro level was prepared on the basis of empirical data from the longitudinal IERiGŻ-PIB surveys conducted in 76 villages located across Poland with the use of multinomial dependent variable logit models. A unique feature of the study is an exploration of farm succession as an intra-family and generational phenomenon, relating to the different phases of family life cycle, as well as to kinship relationships. Moreover, unlike the majority of succession studies, the presented research distinguishes three types of succession (inter-generational, intra-generational and reverse inter-generational) and is based...

This study examines the impact of internal and external knowledge on firm productivity in the Swedish agricultural sector. It combines theories from regional economics about the geographical aspects of knowledge with traditional theories on the role of knowledge in productivity in agriculture. The study is a firm-level analysis using an unbalanced panel between the years 2002 and 2011 in Sweden. The results show that these firms are positively affected by employees with formal education related to the sector. Higher knowledge levels have a greater impact than lower levels. External knowledge, such as localised spillovers, is also important, but the results on this factor are more ambiguous.

In the development of a market economy, the ability to cooperate is a major factor determining the competitiveness of economic actors. With complex instruments intended to stimulate cooperation among the actors in farming, the agri-food chain, forestry and rural development, strengthening cooperation is a priority of the Common Agricultural Policy in the current European Union programming period. This paper evaluates the development of different forms of vertical and horizontal cooperation between actors in Hungarian agriculture in the period 2007-2013. Our definition of cooperation is based on a regular market relationship, and our analysis includes not only formal forms of horizontal and vertical cooperation but also the informal networks offering business benefits for producers. The main conclusion is that, owing to the continuing low level of horizontal cooperation in Hungary, high-level vertical integration ensures that producers can achieve a favourable negotiating position, and this in turn reduces the potential for the development of horizontal cooperation. Informal relationships, such as doing favours without charge, are not negligible ways of accessing resources, especially for small farms. A development path for agricultural cooperation in Hungary might be for actors to make collective investments in order to increase value-added and utilise economies of scale, and...

Hungarian cereal production is situated in the zone of Europe which is most vulnerable to the effects of changes in climatic conditions. The objectives of this paper are to present the calibration and validation of the 4M crop simulation model using farm-level observed representative values, and to estimate the potential yields of winter wheat and maize production for the next three decades. Analysing the differences between the estimated and observed yields, we identified as key influencing factors the heterogeneity of technologies and of land quality. A trend of slightly decreasing yields is projected for the next three decades for both cereals. The precise impact of environmental change on crop yields will depend on which climate scenario occurs.

This study analyses the temporal as well as the spatial shift in cropping pattern in Andhra Pradesh during the period from 1971 to 2009. The temporal associations between crop diversity, weather and economic variables have been examined to understand adaptation dynamics by means of cropping pattern shift. We find a significant impact of rabi (winter) season temperature and kharif (summer) season rainfall on cropping diversity. Along with mean weather, annual rainfall distribution has a significant, positive influence on crop diversity. The intra-seasonal distribution of dry days during rabi and kharif has a heterogeneous impact on crop diversity in districts of Andhra Pradesh. Within the state, geographical redistribution of rice area over the years can be considered as adaptation to climatic risk; however, sustainability of the emerging cropping pattern is under question due to a declining share of dry land crops during the study period. Drawing from the results, improving cropping intensity, increasing use of technology inputs and employing a season-wise incentive policy can be useful measures for sustainable diversification of the crop sector in the state.

In Africa, there have been successes in cassava research in terms of the development of production technologies, particularly improved varieties with high yield potential. The study addresses the question of whether and to what extent adoption of improved cassava varieties has led to rural poverty reduction in four African countries, namely Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Data for the study come from a household survey conducted in the above-mentioned countries through a multinational-CGIAR support to agricultural research for development of strategic crops (SARD-SC) project in Africa. Given the observational nature of the data, a parametric approach (endogenous switching regression model) is applied. The results indicate that the model detects selectivity bias. Accounting for the bias, we find that adoption of cassava technology has resulted in an approximately 10 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate. Given an adoption rate of 34 per cent and a 10 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate, an estimated 24,309 households (equivalent to 194,469 individuals) have managed to move out of poverty in these four countries as a result of adoption of the technology. We also find that adoption of the technology has benefitted non-poor and female-headed households, relative to...

Smallholder farmers account for over 90 per cent of domestic rice production in Tanzania. Their participation in markets provides opportunities for growth through income and employment. However, their ability to participate is hampered by personal, household and institutional constraints. We adopt the double hurdle model to explore determinants of market participation by rice farmers using data collected from selected rice growing regions in Tanzania. The decision to participate in the market is affected by the cropped area, yield, distance to the market and type of variety grown. Besides these factors, the quantity marketed is affected by the existence of a market within the village. There is need for labour-saving technologies for area expansion and yield improvement.