scholarly journals 638 The Economics of Organic Agriculture

HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 557E-557
Author(s):  
Robin G. Brumfield
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Alternative Farming

Since World War II, U.S. agriculture has reduced production costs by substituting petrochemicals for labor, often resulting in overuse of agricultural chemicals. Among the adverse results of chemical overuse are increases in certain pests, groundwater and surface water contamination, and surface water run-off. There is a growing perception that consumers bear the risk of pesticide use and farmers reap the profits. For farmers, the short-term risk of losing a crop that is already planted may take precedence over the long-term risks of such things as the pests developing resistance to pesticide, environmental damage, and applicator health risks. Alternative farming programs such as ICM and organic farming allow farmers to reconcile short-term risks and long-term benefits. Before farmers adopt an alternative system, they must be convinced that economic benefits from the alternative farming program surpass the costs incurred. Few studies have compared the cost of producing organic produce vs. using conventional production systems. One study found that net returns were slightly higher in ICM and organic systems that conventional ones. This is because of lower costs when using ICM systems and price premiums for organic crops. These results suggest that there may not be any trade-off between economic efficiency and environmentally friendly farming practices. If the society desires better environmental quality, it will be ready to pay premium price for the organic or ICM-grown vegetables. In a free-market system, farmers will use the market signals in the form of price, and they will produce accordingly.

Enhancing community welfare through improved water quality: a case for applying staggered pollution charges in the river Musi sub-basin of Andhra Pradesh, India

Water Policy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-483
Author(s):  
Tishya Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Marginal Costs ◽  
Community Acceptance ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Over Time

In conditions of severe water-pollution and dormant community acceptance of accumulating environmental damage, the regulator's role goes beyond pollution prevention and more towards remediation and solutions based on the community's long-term expectations of economic benefits from clean water. This paper suggests a method to enable these benefits to become perceptible progressively, through participatory clean-up operations, supported by staggered pollution charges. It analyses the relevant literature on pollution prevention and applies a cost-based “willingness to pay” model, using primary basin-level data of total marginal costs. It develops a replicable demand-side approach imposing charge-standard targets over time in urban-industrial basins of developing countries.

scholarly journals Pembangunan Ekonomi, Industrialisasi, dan Degradasi Lingkungan Hidup di Indonesia Tahun 1967-2013: Enviromental Kuznet Curve Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andi Kurniawan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Error Correction ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Error Correction Mechanism ◽  
The Impact

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi dampak pembangunan ekonomi dan proses industrialisasi terhadap Degradasi lingkungan di Indonesia baik dalam jangka panjang maupun jangka pendek. Untuk melihat pengaruh pembangunan ekonomi dan industrialisasi terhadap penurunan kualitas lingkungan di Indonesia, penelitian ini menggunakan model Enviromental Kuznet Curve (EKC) dan dengan model Error Correction Mechanism (ECM). Hasil penelitian menjelaskan bahwa dalam jangka panjang peningkatan pendapatan masyarakat dan industrilasasi berpengaruh positif  secara linier terhadap peningkatan emisi C02 dan pada tingkat pendapatan tertentu terjadi proses perbaikan lingkungan yang ditandai dengan penurunan emisi CO2. Namun dalam jangka pendek hanya industrialisasi yeng membrikan pengaruh pada peningkatan emisi CO2. Diharapkan adanya konsesus bersama antara pemerintah dan pelaku usaha (industri) dalam mengurangi dampak pencemaran serta adanya peningkatan kesadaran masyakat dalam membantu mengurangi kerusakan lingkungan hidup.   Abstract This study aims to identify the impact of economic development and industrialization to  the environmental degradation in Indonesia, both in the long term and short term. To see the effect of economic development and industrialization to the environmental degradation in Indonesia, this research was  used Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model and the model of  Error Correction Mechanism (ECM). The results of the study explain that in the long term, improvement of people's income and industrialization have positive effect linearly with the increase in C02 emissions and at a certain income level there is a process improvement environment characterized by a decrease in CO2 emissions. But in the short term only industrialization which influence on the increase of CO2 emissions Expected that the consensus between the government and businesses (industri) in reducing the impact of pollution and the increased awareness of society in helping to reduce environmental damage.    

scholarly journals Key performance indicators of major companies: a study on Russian metallurgical industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 05086
Author(s):  
Daria Baklanovskaya ◽  
Marat Goguadze ◽  
Alexey Shmatko
Keyword(s):  
Financial Stability ◽  
Metallurgical Industry ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Energy Complex ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
Short And Long Term

The development of the metallurgical industry requires investing in the environmental safety of processes and technologies of metal processing, as well as to the measures aimed at energy costs reduction. We will look at the economic impact of reducing production costs by saving resources and improving the efficiency of the energy complex. The financial effect of reducing energy consumption per unit of production can be achieved by optimizing the purchase of energy resources, modes of operation of technological and support equipment, improving the management of the company’s energy complex. The article examines the most important indicators of the operating and financial activities of the three companies in the steel industry—Novolipetsk and Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Plants, as well as Severstal PJSC. The financial stability of these companies and the agility of their capital are quite high, and their fixed assets are financed by their own funds. Companies are also financially stable in the short term, as evidenced by the high current liquidity ratios (2 and above), and their own capital exceeds borrowing by 1.5 to 2 times. Thus, we can conclude that they are operationally efficient and have good financial sustainability in the short and long term.

Factors affect the performance and carcass characteristics of finishing grazed cattle within a 20 month beef system

1988 ◽  
Vol 1988 ◽  
pp. 59-59
Author(s):  
B.G. Lowman ◽  
C.E. Hinks ◽  
C. Swift ◽  
D.R. Neilson ◽  
E.A. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Carcass Characteristics ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Eating Quality ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Grazing Season ◽  
Objective Information ◽  
Rates Of Change

The increasing sales of beef through retail supermarket outlets has been reflected in specification buying by wholesalers being more apparent. The objective of supermarket buyers is to obtain continuity of supplies throughout the year and this trend is likely to increase. Faced with these requirements producers of grass finished cattle (representing 40 per cent of beef supplies) have little objective information on which to plan their production systems. The limited scientific data available tends to be short-term with little, if any, information available on eventual carcass and eating quality.A long-term project has therefore been initiated at Edinburgh to examine the effects of production variables on the performance and carcass characteristics of grass-finished cattle within a 20 month beef system. One aspect of this work has centred its attention on providing information on the rates of change (with time) of carcass characteristics, during the grazing season, in relation to breed, sex and variation in grass availability.

scholarly journals An Examination of the Economics of Sustainable and Conventional Horticulture

2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-691
Author(s):  
Robin G. Brumfield
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Price Premiums ◽  
Organic Systems ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
The Cost

Since World War II, U.S. agriculture has reduced production costs by substituting petrochemicals for labor. Adverse impacts from chemical intensive agriculture include increased pest levels, groundwater and surface water contamination, soil erosion, and concerns about harmful levels of pesticide residues. Sustainable farming programs such as integrated crop management (ICM) and organic farming encourage farmers to use systems that reduce the adverse impacts of chemical agriculture. However, before farmers adopt an alternative system, they must determine that economic benefits from the alternative farming activities exceed the costs incurred. Unfortunately, relatively few studies have compared the cost of organic crop production with conventional production systems. Results of these studies are mixed. In some studies, organic systems are more profitable than conventional systems with organic price premiums, but are not economically viable without price premiums. In one long-term study, the organic system was more profitable than a conventional one if the cost of family labor was ignored, but less profitable if it was included. In some studies, net returns were higher for ICM than for conventional or organic systems, but in others, they were higher. Results also vary on a crop by crop basis.

scholarly journals Grapevine Cultivars, Trellis Systems, and Mechanization of the California Raisin Industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew W. Fidelibus
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Thompson Seedless ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Early Ripening ◽  
Ct System ◽  
Made In

Growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley produced >25% of the world’s raisins in 2012, with a farm-gate value of >$590 million, making the United States the leading global producer of raisins. California’s traditional raisin-making method is a laborious process in which clusters of grapes (Vitis vinifera) are harvested by hand onto paper trays, which are left in the vineyard to dry. The drying fruit may need to be turned or rolled, tasks requiring manual labor, and the trays of dried raisins are also picked up by hand. Most California raisins continue to be made in this way, but in recent years, the declining availability and increasing cost of labor has prompted many growers to implement one of two mechanized production systems, “continuous tray” (CT) or “dry-on-vine” (DOV). In CT systems, machines are used to pick the berries, lay them onto a tray, and pick up the dried raisins. The CT system could be considered a short-term strategy: it is compatible with existing conventional ‘Thompson Seedless’ raisin vineyards and has been widely adopted. The DOV system could be considered a medium-term strategy: it is best suited for vineyards specifically designed for DOV, with early ripening grapevine cultivars on expansive trellis systems, which ensures timely drying, and capitalizes on the fact that sunlit row middles are not needed for fruit drying. Grapevine breeding programs are currently working toward the development of raisin grape cultivars with fruitful basal nodes, with fruit that dry naturally upon ripening. This is a long-term strategy to further reduce labor needs by enabling mechanical pruning in winter and eliminating the need for cane severance in the summer.

scholarly journals Mangroves Fueling Livelihoods: A Socio-Economic Stakeholder Analysis of the Charcoal and Pole Production Systems in the World’s Longest Managed Mangrove Forest

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behara Satyanarayana ◽  
Melissa R. Quispe-Zuniga ◽  
Jean Hugé ◽  
Ibrahim Sulong ◽  
Husain Mohd-Lokman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mangrove Forest ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Charcoal Production ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Management Plans

The declining mangrove cover worldwide highlights the necessity of understanding the linkages between ecological and socio-economic dimensions of mangrove management. This study analyses the socio-economic aspects of the pole and charcoal production systems at Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR), known as the world’s longest managed mangrove forest, in Malaysia. We performed a socio-economic survey to identify the roles and relationships among stakeholders in the pole/charcoal production system and quantified the cash-flows in monetary value. Altogether, 160 interviews were conducted with contractors, forest officials, workers, middle-men, and consumers. The contractors are functioning as a “hub” from production to commercialization and receive major economic benefits. The commercialization of most charcoal (>80%) aims to its exportation to Japan while the commercialization of poles is local. Although the workers’ income was less than the minimum wage, they still prefer charcoal production jobs because of the availability and geographic proximity of these jobs. Our research suggests a standard salary and health insurance schemes for the workers to reduce social inequality/poverty and improve their well-being. Considering that mangroves occur in over 120 countries, our methodology can be used as a reference to unveil the socio-economic situation of mangrove-dependent communities as well as to map the economic cash-flow of the local activities that form the basis for long-term sustainable mangrove management plans.

scholarly journals Gliricidia Agroforestry Technology Adoption Potential in Selected Dryland Areas of Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Martha Swamila ◽  
Damas Philip ◽  
Adam Meshack Akyoo ◽  
Stefan Sieber ◽  
Mateete Bekunda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Agroforestry Technology

Declining soil fertility is one of the major problems facing producers of field crops in most dryland areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. In response to the declining soil fertility, extensive participatory research has been undertaken by the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and smallholder farmers in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The research has, amongst others, led to the development of Gliricidia agroforestry technology. The positive impact of Gliricidia intercropping on crop yields has been established. However, information on farmers’ willingness and ability to adopt the Gliricidia agroforestry technology on their farms is limited. This study predicts the adoption of Gliricidia agroforestry and conventional mineral fertilizer use technology. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with groups of farmers, purposively selected based on five sets of criteria: (i) at least 2 years of experience in either trying or using Gliricidia agroforestry technology, (ii) at least 1 year of experience in either trying or using the mineral fertilizer technology (iii) at least 10 years of living in the study villages, (iv) the age of 18 years and above, and (v) sex. The Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT) was used to predict the peak adoption levels and the respective time in years. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the effect of change in adoption variables on predicted peak adoption levels and time to peak adoption. The results revealed variations in peak adoption levels with Gliricidia agroforestry technology exhibiting the highest peak of 67.6% in 12 years, and that the most influential variable to the peak adoption is the upfront cost of investing in Gliricidia agroforestry and fertilizer technologies. However, in Gliricidia agroforestry technology most production costs are incurred in the first year of project establishment but impact the long term biophysical and economic benefits. Moreover, farmers practicing agroforestry technology accrue environmental benefits, such as soil erosion control. Based on the results, it is plausible to argue that Gliricidia agroforestry technology has a high adoption potential and its adoption is influenced by investment costs. We recommend two actions to attract smallholder farmers investing in agroforestry technologies. First, enhancing farmers’ access to inputs at affordable prices. Second, raising farmers’ awareness of the long-term environmental benefits of Gliricidia agroforestry technology.

Profitability of coupled potato and dairy farms in Maine

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron K. Hoshide ◽  
Timothy J. Dalton ◽  
Smith N. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Returns To Scale ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Coupled Systems ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Livestock Farming Systems ◽  
Integrated Or

AbstractAfter decades of farm specialization, re-integrating crop and livestock farming systems is being reconsidered as a key step toward sustainable agriculture. The relative profitability of Maine farms integrating crops and livestock is compared to non-integrated or conventional farms. Crop and livestock integration in Maine occurs through either diversified on-farm integration or, more commonly, through coupled interactions between specialized crop and livestock producers. Potato and dairy systems coupled for only 2 years (short-term) had greater profitability compared to conventional systems. Profitability increased in the short term in two ways. First, potato farms grew more of their primary cash crop. Secondly, dairy farms expanded cow numbers, increasing profitability assuming increasing returns to scale. Coupled systems integrated for more than 10 years (long-term) had more favorable profitability than short-term couplers since greater manure-nutrient credits were taken for potatoes and silage corn. The advantages of potato–dairy integration were even greater if potato yields increased in the long term, as suggested by long-term rotation plot studies in Maine. Even if coupling is more profitable than non-integrated systems, it requires that farms be in close proximity and for farmers to have adequate working relationships and management skills. Despite these challenges to re-integrating crops and livestock, short- and long-term economic benefits may encourage farmers in appropriate areas to consider coupling with other producers.

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