Volume 127 - Issue 1

Mongolia, endowed with abundant natural resources, faces a critical challenge in reducing its reliance on the mining sector and achieving economic diversification. This study aims to identify the potential for economic diversification by developing the non-mining processing industry. To this end, a Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) analysis and value chain mapping were employed. The RCA results highlight the importance of livestock-derived products and recognise the livestock sector as having the best potential for achieving economic diversification. Consequently, the value chain of livestock-derived products was mapped, and key challenges at each stage were identified. The study provides actionable recommendations for developing this value chain. The findings underscore that the value chain of livestock-derived products encounters numerous obstacles that must be addressed to build a competitive sector. Key strategies for addressing the issues throughout the value chain include improving animal health, ensuring compliance with good practices and standards, and enhancing competitiveness through advanced technologies, increased financial and investment support, and improved logistics and infrastructure.

The paper estimates the firm level impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) investment subsidies on gross value added, profits, employment, and productivity of farms in Slovakia, and evaluates the effectiveness of support provided through the Rural Development Programme. We employ a Propensity Score Matching Difference-in-Differences econometric approach on a database of commercial farms for the period 2006-2015. The results of this paper show that the farm investment support stimulated growth of gross value added, farm profits, and employment in the agricultural sector, while it reduced labour productivity. Investment support helped to maintain rural jobs, which occurred partly at the expense of labour productivity. The paper stresses high deadweight costs of investment support within the CAP, which should be considered when planning and implementing new CAP interventions.

This study investigates the classification of the family farmers’ perceptions of success, based on characteristics and resources. The empirical analysis was undertaken on primary data collected via a questionnaire completed by family farmers in Finland. The most important variables in the classification are identified using the C5.0 decision tree algorithm. The algorithm performs with an approximately 16% error rate. In the classification of family farmers’ perceptions of success, farm characteristics are of minor importance, whereas the most important variables relate to resources and skills. The most important variables classifying perceptions of success are skills for exploiting opportunities, funding opportunities, and technology, machinery and equipment. The importance of the factors of resources (capital, capability, organisational, skills) are interpreted, together with factors of success (financial, self-realisation, growth and family). This study provides a further indication of the potential of the methodology to highlight the role played by farm characteristics and resources in family farm success.

Climate change leads to various impacts, including reduced production, lower crop yields, land degradation, soil erosion, and overall, food insecurity. It is projected that by 2080, between 5 million and 170 million people could encounter serious food shortages. Currently, approximately 5 million people are experiencing inadequate access to food in Central Asia. This study investigates the impact of climate change on food security in Central Asia by using panel data analysis for five Central Asian countries between 2000 and 2020. The findings indicate that weather shocks negatively affect food security dimensions. Based on the findings, the authors recommend improving education on adapting the agricultural sector to climate change, implementing technological improvements, and transitioning to sustainable agriculture.

This study explores the link between trade and sustainability, focusing on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures within the WTO framework. It highlights the importance of Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) as a dispute management tool and their implications for sustainability. Analysing three case studies – EU-China (African Swine Fever), EU-India (Methyl Bromide fumigation), and Senegal-EU (mango exports) – the paper identifies divergent, negotiable trade-offs, and cooperative behaviours among trading partners. The study applies the Theory of Change (ToC) framework to the three STCs to assess the effectiveness of linking trade with sustainability goals. Findings reveal that sustainability considerations are critical for resolving STCs and achieving policy coherence and integration. The EU-Senegal case demonstrates ToC alignment, showcasing the success of a cooperative approach in addressing sustainability. In contrast, unsolved issues in the EU-China and EU-India cases highlight faults in sustainability integration. The study underlines STCs’ potential for modernising the WTO by fostering the linkages between trade and sustainability through institutional change.

Vietnam has been one of the three largest exporting countries in the global rice market in the recent decades. This study conducts an in-depth analysis of the impact of climate change on rice production in Vietnam from 2002 to 2022, focusing on key climatic variables such as temperature, rainfall, sunshine, and humidity. Located in the tropical and subtropical monsoon climate, Vietnam’s agricultural sector is acutely vulnerable to the growing challenges posed by climate variability. Employing robust empirical techniques, the research reveals significant correlations between climatic factors and rice yields. The findings demonstrate that rising maximum temperatures contribute positively to rice production while lowering minimum temperatures lead to reduced yields. Rainfall is shown to play a critical role in boosting productivity, whereas elevated humidity levels exert a detrimental effect. These results highlight the profound sensitivity of rice production to climatic changes, reinforcing the urgency for implementing adaptive measures and climate-resilient strategies to ensure the sustainability and stability of rice production in the face of a changing climate.

This study aims to examine the economic impacts of phasing out enriched cages in Hungarian table egg production. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among 42 enriched cage egg producers and in-depth interviews were carried out with barn and aviary egg producers, as well as a company specialised in designing and implementing housing systems for laying hens, using economic and physical efficiency data for the year 2021 from egg producers. Economic situation was examined via a simulation model, which was based on on deterministic principles. The results indicate that aviary and barn housing systems exhibit lower physical efficiency and weaker economic indicators when compared to the enriched cage housing system. Aviaries and barns showed reduced egg production per hen (-7% and -12%, respectively), increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) (+17% and +24%), reduced labour efficiency (-40% in both cases), and increased mortality rate (+2.49 and +3.31 percentage points). Key determinants of unit gross margin alterations were found to be egg production per hen, the share of class ‘A’ eggs, FCR, and pullet acquisition cost. Aviary housing systems proved as profitable as enriched cage systems in terms of gross margin per egg, whereas barn housing systems were unprofitable based on 2021 data....