scholarly journals Assessing Sustainability Performance at the Farm Level: Examples from Greek Agricultural Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Tzouramani ◽  
Stamatis Mantziaris ◽  
Pavlos Karanikolas
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
The Eu

In recent years, farmers and policymakers have faced ample challenges and have struggled to support the sustainability of the agricultural sector. Sustainable agriculture encompasses multiple concepts, and its performance produces extensive debate about data requirements, appropriate indicators, evaluation methods, and tools. Under the European Union (EU) financed project FLINT (Farm Level Indicators for New Topics in policy evaluation), detailed data have been collected at the farm level to provide broader coverage of sustainability indicators on a wide range of relevant topics to facilitate the assessment of sustainability performance. The approach has been applied in a pilot network of representative farms at the EU level, considering the heterogeneity of the EU farming sector to provide data infrastructure with up to date information for sustainability indicators. This study aims to assess sustainability performance at the farm level in Greece. Representative and dominant agricultural systems, such as permanent crops, olive trees, arable crops, and livestock (sheep) farms, comprise the Greek sample. It uses the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology and attempts to gain insights into the sustainability performance of agricultural systems. The outcome of the sustainability assessment reveals knowledge and develops support for strategic farm choices in order to support both farmers and policymakers towards more sustainable development plans. The results indicate that three typical Mediterranean farming systems, like permanent crops, olive trees, and extensive livestock systems (sheep farms), are more sustainable in contrast to intensive and arable crop farms.

scholarly journals Assessing Sustainability Performance at the Farm Level: Examples from Greek Agricultural Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Tzouramani ◽  
Stamatis Mantziaris ◽  
Pavlos Karanikolas
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
The Eu

In recent years, farmers and policymakers have faced ample challenges and have struggled to support the sustainability of the agricultural sector. Sustainable agriculture encompasses multiple concepts, and its performance produces extensive debate about data requirements, appropriate indicators, evaluation methods, and tools. Under the European Union (EU) financed project FLINT (Farm Level Indicators for New Topics in policy evaluation), detailed data have been collected at the farm level to provide broader coverage of sustainability indicators on a wide range of relevant topics to facilitate the assessment of sustainability performance. The approach has been applied in a pilot network of representative farms at the EU level, considering the heterogeneity of the EU farming sector to provide data infrastructure with up to date information for sustainability indicators. This study aims to assess sustainability performance at the farm level in Greece. Representative and dominant agricultural systems, such as permanent crops, olive trees, arable crops, and livestock (sheep) farms, comprise the Greek sample. It uses the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology and attempts to gain insights into the sustainability performance of agricultural systems. The outcome of the sustainability assessment reveals knowledge and develops support for strategic farm choices in order to support both farmers and policymakers towards more sustainable development plans. The results indicate that three typical Mediterranean farming systems, namely permanent crops, olive trees, and extensive livestock systems (sheep farms), are more sustainable in contrast to intensive and arable crop farms.

scholarly journals FEATURES OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF AGRARIAN RELATIONS IN BULGARIA AFTER ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (2007–2019)

2021 ◽  
pp. 6-16
Author(s):  
Maria Georgieva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
European Economic Area ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Production Relations ◽  
The Eu

The article reveals the peculiarities of the development of industrial relations in the agricultural sector of the Bulgarian economy in terms of its membership in the European Union. Thanks to the involvement of a wide range of statistical sources, it is determined that modern Bulgarian society is experiencing profound changes in socio-economic development, the response to which has brought the Bulgarian agricultural sector to a competitive level. It is determined that the agricultural sector of the Bulgarian economy had a rather difficult way of adapting production relations to European requirements. At the same time, Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union stimulated the development of agriculture, contributed to the introduction of the latest agro-technical production technologies, rational land use, improvement of agricultural products. The main trends in the development of the agricultural sector of the Bulgarian economy after the country’s accession to the EU and the transformation processes in the sector are analyzed. In addition, as a result of an in-depth analysis, it was proved that the Bulgarian agricultural sector on the verge of joining the EU had a number of problems that hindered the increase of its productivity and profitability. Following Bulgaria’s accession to the European Economic Area, the country had to take a number of measures to address the above-mentioned problem. In particular, it consisted in the adaptation of agricultural legislation, state support measures to European norms and standards of agricultural production to European norms and requirements. The deepening of European integration and the further accession of Bulgaria to the EU accelerated the transformation of agricultural production relations and the modernization of agriculture, which was accompanied by the adaptation and harmonization of the agricultural sector to increase its productivity.

scholarly journals EUROPEAN GREEN DEАL AND AGRICULTURAL SECTOR OF UKRAINE: EXPECTATIONS AND CHALLENGES

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliia Fedorchuk
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Food System ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Eu

The article considers main questions regarding implementation and adaptation of the European Union program called «European Green Deal» in Ukrainian agribusiness. The article analyzes factors, risks and challenges that arise as a result of the implementation of the «green deal» to Ukrainian farmers. The European experience of the program implementation as a part of agricultural sector is studied. Prospects for Ukraine to obtain direct access to the «green economy» and become a climate-neutral country in the agricultural sector are outlined. At this stage, Ukrainian diplomacy is negotiating with the European Union within the framework of the «green deal» and is ready to cooperate as a guarantor of the implementation of this program for the agribusiness. The most important thing is to build synergies between the agricultural sector and all the authorities that are involved, in order to adapt the European course in Ukraine. The aim of the article is to deepen the theoretical and methodological approaches to the development of mechanisms that ensure the transition of the domestic agricultural sector to the model of the European «green deal». Our research shows that against a background of the economic and coronavirus crisis, the European Green Deal (EGD) is still the unifying element that will increase the resilience of a vulnerable world. It is related not only to the climate policy but also to a green concept of modernizing the economy and economic growth in order to ensure human life being in harmony with the planet and its resources. Given a wide range of areas covered by the course, it will have a significant impact on our trade and economic cooperation with the EU. In 2020, Ukraine has already started internal discussions with businesses regarding the European Green Deal (EGD). Agricultural initiatives and the transition to a sustainable EU food system are likely to increase agricultural and food demand, which could be an additional trade barrier and cause negative affect on Ukrainian exports. However, the promotion of organic products in the EU will create new market opportunities for manufacturer.

scholarly journals Developing water, energy, and food sustainability performance indicators for agricultural systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soheila Zarei ◽  
Omid Bozorg-Haddad ◽  
Vijay P. Singh ◽  
Hugo A. Loáiciga
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Pairwise Comparison ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Basin Scale

AbstractWater use by the agricultural sector along with inefficient irrigation methods and climate change has led to the depletion and insecurity of water resources and consequent instability of the agricultural system. Defining benchmarks and comparing them is essential for sustainable system management performance. The sustainability performance of an agricultural system depends on various factors related to water, energy, and food. This study selects and ranks sustainability performance indicators (SPIs) of agricultural systems with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Expert opinions on agricultural sustainability were obtained from Iran’s Regional Water Organization. The factors and variables affecting the management of water resources in agricultural systems in a basin area are evaluated with 17 SPIs (10 indicators of water resources sustainability, 3 energy sustainability indicators, and 4 food sustainability indicators) that measure the sustainability of agricultural systems. The AHP reduced the number of indicators to a small number of effective indicators. Results of pairwise comparison and the subsequent determination of the weight of each indicator show that the indicators of water consumption, groundwater level stability, vulnerability of water resources, and water stress have the largest weights (i.e., importance) for agricultural system sustainability at the basin scale. These selected indicators can be applied to agricultural water systems (AWSs).

scholarly journals Economic and Environmental Consequences of the ECJ Genome Editing Judgment in Agriculture

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1212
Author(s):  
Alexander Gocht ◽  
Nicola Consmüller ◽  
Ferike Thom ◽  
Harald Grethe
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
European Court ◽  
The Eu

Genome-edited crops are on the verge of being placed on the market and their agricultural and food products will thus be internationally traded soon. National regulations, however, diverge regarding the classification of genome-edited crops. Major countries such as the US and Brazil do not specifically regulate genome-edited crops, while in the European Union, they fall under GMO legislation, according to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). As it is in some cases impossible to analytically distinguish between products from genome-edited plants and those from non-genome-edited plants, EU importers may fear the risk of violating EU legislation. They may choose not to import any agricultural and food products based on crops for which genome-edited varieties are available. Therefore, crop products of which the EU is currently a net importer would become more expensive in the EU, and production would intensify. Furthermore, an intense substitution of products covered and not covered by genome editing would occur in consumption, production, and trade. We analyzed the effects of such a cease of EU imports for cereals and soy in the EU agricultural sector with the comparative static agricultural sector equilibrium model CAPRI. Our results indicate dramatic effects on agricultural and food prices as well as on farm income. The intensification of EU agriculture may result in negative net environmental effects in the EU as well as in an increase in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This suggests that trade effects should be considered when developing domestic regulation for genome-edited crops.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Hepatitis C Screening for Migrants in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Greenaway ◽  
Iuliia Makarenko ◽  
Claire Abou Chakra ◽  
Balqis Alabdulkarim ◽  
Robin Christensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Linkage To Care ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
European Economic Area ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Eu

Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is a public health priority in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and liver cancer. Migrants account for a disproportionate number of HCV cases in the EU/EEA (mean 14% of cases and >50% of cases in some countries). We conducted two systematic reviews (SR) to estimate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HCV screening for migrants living in the EU/EEA. We found that screening tests for HCV are highly sensitive and specific. Clinical trials report direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapies are well-tolerated in a wide range of populations and cure almost all cases (>95%) and lead to an 85% lower risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma and an 80% lower risk of all-cause mortality. At 2015 costs, DAA based regimens were only moderately cost-effective and as a result less than 30% of people with HCV had been screened and less 5% of all HCV cases had been treated in the EU/EEA in 2015. Migrants face additional barriers in linkage to care and treatment due to several patient, practitioner, and health system barriers. Although decreasing HCV costs have made treatment more accessible in the EU/EEA, HCV elimination will only be possible in the region if health systems include and treat migrants for HCV.

scholarly journals Limits to the European Commission – Managing Services of General Interests

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerzy Ząbkowicz
Keyword(s):  
European Commission ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
General Interest ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Services Of General Interest ◽  
The Eu

Services of general interest form an essential element of the European model of society as a way to increase quality of life and to overcome social exclusion and isolation. They are also at the core of the public debate touching the central question of the role public authorities and the institutions of the European Union play in a market economy. The competencies and responsibilities conferred by the Treaty, the EU regulations and directives lay emphasis on the essential role and the wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in defining, organizing, financing and monitoring services of general interest. The same time the EU Law provide the European Commission with a wide range of means of action to ensure the compliance of the process of organizing and financing such services according to a comprehensive regulatory regime at Community level to make them compatible with the internal market and to prevent a distortion of the competition rules. The paper indicates divergences of the points of view of public authorities and the Commission on their role, shared responsibility and powers in that process.

Policy-Making in the European Union

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
National Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Key Events ◽  
The Eu

Policy-Making in the European Union explores the link between the modes and mechanisms of EU policy-making and its implementation at the national level. From defining the processes, institutions and modes through which policy-making operates, the text moves on to situate individual policies within these modes, detail their content, and analyse how they are implemented, navigating policy in all its complexities. The first part of the text examines processes, institutions, and the theoretical and analytical underpinnings of policy-making, while the second part considers a wide range of policy areas, from economics to the environment, and security to the single market. Throughout the text, theoretical approaches sit side by side with the reality of key events in the EU, including enlargement, the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, and the financial crisis and resulting Eurozone crisis, focusing on what determines how policies are made and implemented. This includes major developments such as the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism, the reform of the common agricultural policy, and new initiatives to promote EU energy security. In the final part, the chapters consider trends in EU policy-making and the challenges facing the EU.

scholarly journals Czech foreign agricultural trade after joining the European Union

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 583-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Bašek ◽  
J. Kraus
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Trade ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Trade Deficit ◽  
Agricultural Trade ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Trading Partners ◽  
Territorial Structure ◽  
The Eu

The objective of the paper is to assess how the Czech agricultural sector has withstood keen competition in the EU single market as measured by the basic indicators of foreign trade exchange. The impacts expressed by the indicators of active and/or adverse balance of trade were monitored for the post-accession period (the average of the years 2005–2007) in comparison with the pre-accession period (the average of the years 2001–2003). The assessment of the impacts of the accession to the EU is based on an analysis of the commodity and territorial structure of Czech agricultural foreign trade. The comparison of agricultural balance before and after the accession to the EU for our major trading partners shows that the active balance of the CR with Slovakia increased to 12.0 billion CZK per year; on the contrary, in relation to Poland, the trade deficit of 6.4 billion CZK per year was recorded while Germany strengthened its position in relation to the CR by an increase in the negative balance to 5.4 billion CZK and in relation to Austria, our adverse balance is maintained at the level of 1.1 to 1.2 billion CZK per year for a long time. After the accession to the EU, it was confirmed that the former EU 15 countries took a greater advantage of the customs union enlargement in the framework of the EU 27.

A NUTS 2 Level Cluster Analysis of EAFRD Submeasure 4.1 Implementation in Romania and Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-58
Author(s):  
Alexandru Sin ◽  
Czesław Nowak ◽  
Ion Burlacu
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
Rural Economies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Level Cluster

Rural development is an important part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union, as the Second Pillar of CAP, covering a wide range of actions, aimed at achieving a balanced territorial development of rural economies and communities. Previous studies highlighted significant similarities between Romania and Poland, regarding agricultural sector and rural areas. A k-mean cluster analysis was performed on Romanian and Polish NUTS2 regions, in order to identify common problems and examples of good practices. The analysis considered five clusters, built over a dataset of four variables: EAFRD investments in farms per capita, share of agricultural output in GDP, utilized agricultural area, and GDP per capita. Out of the five clusters, only one presented a balanced composition of Romanian and Polish regions, also representing a good example of attracting rural development funds where they're mostly needed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document