scholarly journals SIGNIFICANCE OF COOPERATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Olha Alieksieieva

The purpose of the article is to study the impact of the basic principles and benefits of the development of cooperative movement on the development of organic agricultural production, as well as to determine the role of cooperation in the development of organic entrepreneurship. Methodology. The author has used the methods of analysis and synthesis, the method of statistical grouping and comparison, induction and deduction, structural and functional approach to solve the problems and achieve the goals. The study is based on the comparative analysis and synthesis of scientific literature. Results. Organic food is increasing in popularity. The growing demand is mainly attributable to consumer concerns about negative implications of conventional agriculture for human health and the environment. Organic agriculture has a great potential to neutralize a negative impact of agricultural intensification on the environment. The article describes the concept and analyzes the current state of cooperation in agriculture. It is found that during the period under the research, the number of registered cooperatives has increased by almost 45%. The concepts of organic agriculture and organic production are clarified. The dynamics of agricultural lands engaged in organic production and the number of certified organic farms in Ukraine are studied. It is indicated that the consumption of organic products in Ukraine is much lower than in the European countries and the United States. The advantages of introducing a cooperative movement in the field of organic agriculture are identified. Being part of a cooperative helps small farms to be able to produce enough to generate profits and ensure their substance, which is an opportunity to compete with larger companies. Risks arising in the process of establishing organic cooperatives are outlined considering the international experience. It is concluded that efficient organic farming cooperatives can support local and export markets, stimulate production efficiency and promote local logistics. Practical implications. The advantages of consolidation of enterprises and entrepreneurs in the field of organic agriculture on the basis of cooperation can be used for the development of state programs to support the cooperative movement in organic farming. Value/originality. Views on the organization of production, processing and logistics activities of organic agricultural producers through the introduction of cooperatives have been expanded.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
Budi Setiawan ◽  
Zulfanita Zulfanita ◽  
Didik Widiyantono ◽  
Sugeng Eko Putro Widoyoko

ABSTRAKKesadaran petani akan dampak dari penggunaan pupuk atau pestisida kimia dalam pertanian konvensional sangat rendah. Penurunan kualitas lingkungan seperti berkurangnya serangga, penurunan kesuburan tanah, penurunan kualitas air, udara dan polusi tanah disebabkan oleh penggunaan bahan kimia dalam pertanian konvensional. Salah satu yang dapat dijadikan solusi untuk mengatasi kondisi ini adalah pengembangan pertanian organik (organic farming). Program Pengabdian Masyarakat dilaksanakan di desa Rendeng, kecamatan Gebang, kabupaten Purworejo bertujuan untuk menjadikan desa Rendeng sebagai kawasan pertanian, peternakan dan perikanan berbasis organic farming. Mitra dalam pelaksanan pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah kelompok tani Ngudi Makmur dengan anggota 30 orang.  Metode yang digunakan adalah Education for Sustainable Development (EfSD) merupakan salah satu metode pengabdian kepada masyarakat yang berorientasi pada penyelesaian masalah pada lingkungan masyarakat. Metode EfSD menekankan pada 3 pilar yaitu ekonomi, ekologi atau lingkungan dan sosial. Program kegiatan yang dilaksanakan secara garis besar meliputi, 1) pemberdayaan masyarakat melalui penguatan kelembagaan dan peningkatan kualitas sumber daya manusia,2) Penumbuhan dan pengembangan budidaya pertanian, dan perikanan berbasis organic farming, 3) peningkatan produksi, pengolahan dan pemasaran hasil pertanian dan perikanan. Hasil pengabdian masyarakat ini berupa penguatan kelembagaan Kelompok Tani  Ngudi Makmur beraktifitas dengan aktif, adanya program kegiatan dan sosialisasi serta pelatihan serta pembinaan         pengetahuan dan pengalaman  kelompok  tani dalam pengembangan pertanian dan perikanan organik. Kata kunci : organic farming; pertanian; perikanan; education for sustainable development. ABSTRACTFarmers' awareness of the impact of using chemical fertilizers or pesticides in conventional agriculture is very low. Environmental quality degradation such as reduced DR, decreased air quality, air pollution is caused by the use of chemicals in conventional agriculture. One of the solutions to overcome this condition is the development of organic agriculture (organic farming). The Community Service Program implemented in Rendeng village, Gebang District, Purworejo Regency aims to make Rendeng village an organic agriculture-based agricultural, livestock and fishery area. Partners in implementing this community service are the Ngudi Makmur farmer group with 30 members. The method used is Education for Sustainable Development (EfSD), which is a community service method that is oriented towards solving problems in the community environment. The EfSD method emphasizes 3 pillars, namely economic, ecological or environmental and social. The program of activities carried out in outline includes, 1) community empowerment through institutional strengthening and improvement of the quality of human resources, 2) cultivation and development of agricultural and fisheries based on organic agriculture, 3) increasing production, processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products. The results of this community service are in the form of institutional strengthening of the Ngudi Makmur Farmer Group to be actively active, the existence of a program of activities and outreach as well as training as well as fostering knowledge and experience of farmer groups in developing organic agriculture and fisheries. Keywords : organic farming; agriculture; fishery; education for sustainable development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-230
Author(s):  
Sovit Parajuli ◽  
Jiban Shrestha ◽  
Sabita Ghimire

Increasing use of agrochemicals, higher production cost and deterioration of ecosystem health have advocated the need to change the traditional and external input using agriculture towards safe and sustainable organic production. The article reviewed on general overview of organic agriculture in Nepal. The article aims to put light on the current scenario of the dawdling-paced organic agriculture and the options to revive the pesticide dominated conventional agriculture. Promotion of organic agriculture was first appeared as a priority in the10th Five Year Plan of the Government of Nepal. Now it has been embedded in the national agricultural policy. Organic agriculture provides benefits in terms of environmental protection, conservation of nonrenewable resources, improved food quality, improve health status and the reorientation of agriculture towards areas of market demand. Various institutions, individuals and farmers are engaging in organic farming. Nepal is exporting organic products to international markets. The adoption of organic agriculture increases agricultural production and improves soil health and consumer health and seems a better option in countries like ours where fortunately integrated crop-livestock system is still prevalent. It is found to be viable option for better livelihood in the context of Nepal. Because the haphazard pesticide use has marred the conventional agriculture, all these contexts gesture this system to be scrutinize thoroughly and supplanted by organic farming system as a viable option towards food security and agricultural sustainability.


2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 503
Author(s):  
Yongrui Hou ◽  
Tianyuan Luo ◽  
Jing Hao

As the demand for organic products quickly grows in the U.S., the domestic supply of organic commodities has stagnated and failed to meet the increasing needs. To expand the organic supply capacity in the country, it is crucial to identify the key factors that could effectively promote the scale of organic farming in the U.S. Using a multivariate analytic model and state level data from multiple sources and years, this study examines a wide range of determinants that could affect organic agriculture. The results show that research funding would significantly increase organic vegetable production and the number of organic farms. The development of organic farming could be greatly encouraged by the support of research institutions. In addition, the evidence shows that abundant farm workers are essential for the organic farming sector, which is labor-intensive. Finally, a large population base could create a more stable consumer group that would promote the development of organic agriculture. These results suggest the importance of exploring and expanding consumer groups for organic commodities. These findings provide insightful implications that research support, labor availability, and a solid consumer base are crucial to boost the organic sector in the U.S. and other countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 501-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Julia Marasteanu ◽  
Edward C. Jaenicke

AbstractIn this paper, we assess whether or not organic agriculture has a positive impact on local economies. We first identify organic agriculture hotspots (clusters of counties with positively correlated high numbers of organic operations) using spatial statistics. Then, we estimate a treatment effects model that classifies a county's membership in an organic hotspot as an endogenous treatment variable. By modeling what a hotspot county's economic indicators would have been had the county not been part of a hotspot, this model captures the effect of being in a hotspot on a county's economic indicators. We perform the same analysis for general agricultural farm hotspots to confirm that the benefits associated with organic production hotspots are, in fact, due to the organic component. Our results show that organic hotspot membership leads to a lower county-level poverty rate and a higher median household income. A similar result is not found when investigating the impact of general agriculture hotspots. On the other hand, our result is robust to alternative hotspot definitions based on type of organic operations to alternative methods of estimating average treatment effects on the treated. These results provide strong motivation for considering hotspots of organic handling operations, which refers to middlemen such as processors, wholesalers and brokers, and hotspots of organic production to be local economic development tools, and may be of interest to policymakers whose objective is to promote rural development. Our results may incentivize policymakers to specifically focus on organic development, rather than the more general development of agriculture, as a means to promote economic growth in rural areas, and may further point them in the direction of not only encouraging the presence of organic operations, but of fostering the development of clusters or hotspots of these operations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (24) ◽  
pp. 7611-7616 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Crowder ◽  
John P. Reganold

To promote global food and ecosystem security, several innovative farming systems have been identified that better balance multiple sustainability goals. The most rapidly growing and contentious of these systems is organic agriculture. Whether organic agriculture can continue to expand will likely be determined by whether it is economically competitive with conventional agriculture. Here, we examined the financial performance of organic and conventional agriculture by conducting a meta-analysis of a global dataset spanning 55 crops grown on five continents. When organic premiums were not applied, benefit/cost ratios (−8 to −7%) and net present values (−27 to −23%) of organic agriculture were significantly lower than conventional agriculture. However, when actual premiums were applied, organic agriculture was significantly more profitable (22–35%) and had higher benefit/cost ratios (20–24%) than conventional agriculture. Although premiums were 29–32%, breakeven premiums necessary for organic profits to match conventional profits were only 5–7%, even with organic yields being 10–18% lower. Total costs were not significantly different, but labor costs were significantly higher (7–13%) with organic farming practices. Studies in our meta-analysis accounted for neither environmental costs (negative externalities) nor ecosystem services from good farming practices, which likely favor organic agriculture. With only 1% of the global agricultural land in organic production, our findings suggest that organic agriculture can continue to expand even if premiums decline. Furthermore, with their multiple sustainability benefits, organic farming systems can contribute a larger share in feeding the world.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garth Youngberg ◽  
Suzanne P. DeMuth

AbstractSince the early 1980s organic agriculture has undergone enormous growth and innovation in the US and throughout the world. Some observers have pointed to the US Department of Agriculture's 1980Report and Recommendations on Organic Farmingas having provided the catalyst for many of these developments. It is important, however, to understand how the evolving character of organic ideology during the 1960s and 1970s helped lay the foundation for moving organic agriculture onto the US governmental agenda in the early 1980s. We explore these and other contextual factors surrounding the USDA Report's release, including its methods, findings and recommendations, and both positive and negative reactions, as well as those factors that led to the Report's declining influence by the decade's end. The need for agricultural sustainability has played an important role in shaping, not only the path of organic agriculture in the US but also the overall politics of American agriculture. Legislative efforts to support organic agriculture have evolved along with this altered policy environment and are considered here within the broader context of the politics of sustainable agriculture. Next, we consider the organic industry's transition from a privately managed enterprise to the pivotal role now played by the federal government in the administration of the National Organic Program. Calls to move ‘beyond organic’ are also examined. Finally, we explore the impact of sustainable agriculture, agricultural research and farm structure upon the future of organic agriculture in the US. The politics within these three interrelated domains of public agricultural policy will likely bear heavily upon the future of organic farming and the organic industry as a whole.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 2870-2878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia M. Smith ◽  
Abigail L. Cohen ◽  
John P. Reganold ◽  
Matthew S. Jones ◽  
Robert J. Orpet ◽  
...  

Organic agriculture promotes sustainability compared to conventional agriculture. However, the multifunctional sustainability benefits of organic farms might be mediated by landscape context. Assessing how landscape context affects sustainability may aid in targeting organic production to landscapes that promote high biodiversity, crop yields, and profitability. We addressed this using a meta-analysis spanning 60 crop types on six continents that assessed whether landscape context affected biodiversity, yield, and profitability of organic vs. conventional agroecosystems. We considered landscape metrics reflecting landscape composition (percent cropland), compositional heterogeneity (number and diversity of cover types), and configurational heterogeneity (spatial arrangement of cover types) across our study systems. Organic sites had greater biodiversity (34%) and profits (50%) than conventional sites, despite lower yields (18%). Biodiversity gains increased as average crop field size in the landscape increased, suggesting organic farms provide a “refuge” in intensive landscapes. In contrast, as crop field size increased, yield gaps between organic and conventional farms increased and profitability benefits of organic farming decreased. Profitability of organic systems, which we were only able to measure for studies conducted in the United States, varied across landscapes in conjunction with production costs and price premiums, suggesting socioeconomic factors mediated profitability. Our results show biodiversity benefits of organic farming respond differently to landscape context compared to yield and profitability benefits, suggesting these sustainability metrics are decoupled. More broadly, our results show that the ecological, but not the economic, sustainability benefits of organic agriculture are most pronounced in more intensive agricultural landscapes.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Maria Raimondo ◽  
Francesco Caracciolo ◽  
Concetta Nazzaro ◽  
Giuseppe Marotta

While there is growing recognition of the positive role played by organic farming in the reduction of the negative externalities due to conventional agriculture, there is uncertainty about the effect of the latter on the economic performance of the farms. In this scenario, the present paper aims at investigating the effect of organic farming on technical efficiency in Italian olive farms. A cross-section dataset was analyzed through the stochastic frontier function, where the adoption of organic farming was explicitly modeled. Then, to obtain an unbiased estimate of the impact of organic farming on technical efficiency, a propensity score matching method was implemented. The findings reveal that organic farming increases technical efficiency in Italian olive farms by approximately 10%. The highest impact of organic farming is observed in small farms. As for the propensity to become organic, we found that the production and the direct sales of a higher quality of gross marketable output, as well as the intensity of labor and machines, increase the probability to adopt organic farming. Conversely, farm localization, the availability of family labor, and financial capital discourage conversion to the organic farming system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (23) ◽  
pp. 237-250
Author(s):  
Anatolii Morozov ◽  
◽  
Tetiana Morozova ◽  
Inessa Rutkovska ◽  
◽  
...  

Introduction.The main environmental risks posed by roads are population depletion (deaths on roads) and barrier effects (habitat fragmentation). Barrier effects - animals avoid crossing roads, which leads to a decrease in the size and quality of habitat, optimal population size, reduced ability to find food and partner, increased genetic structuring and local extinction (Forman et al. 2003; Andrews et al. 2015; van der Ree et al. 2015). These risks against the background of other stressors, in particular the presence of invasive species, pollution, pesticide use, climate change, plant and animal diseases, may threaten the survival of populations.This issue is especially relevant for herpetofauna due to their biological characteristics. In particular, reptiles and amphibians move slowly, are too small (for drivers to see), do not avoid roads, and in cold periods roads attract amphibians (thermoregulation) because the coating absorbs and retains heat (Case and Fisher 2001; Jochimsen et al. 2004).The principle of ensuring ecological continuity is to identify priority efforts to mitigate environmental risks for animals and reduce the negative impact of the transport complex as a spatial barrier and source of pollution by introducing a number of technical means (eco-crossings, screens, embankments, landscaping). As it is not possible to change the environmental risks on all roads and for all species at present, it is necessary to identify the most vulnerable species, assess the risks to populations and the need for mitigation based on analysis of road density and traffic intensity.Problem Statement. With the advent of land transport there was a progressive environmental problem - the transformation of landscapes, it first appeared in countries with developed road infrastructure in Western Europe and the United States, and quickly spread around the globe (Ellenberg, et al., 1981; Fetisov, 1999; Zagorodnyuk, 2006, Ilyukh, Khokhlov, 2012). Numerous publications by both foreign and domestic authors are devoted to the study of the impact of transport infrastructure. Special attention of European authors is paid to the study of the phenomenon of fragmentation of natural ecosystems. In Europe, there is a network of experts and institutions of IENE, which is studying the possibility of implementing preventive measures for landscape fragmentation, promotes the development of transport infrastructure in accordance with environmental requirements, by creating a safe, environmentally sustainable European transport infrastructure.The ecological trail of the road network significantly exceeds its length (Vozniuk, 2014). This is due to the effects of, in particular, mortality on the roads of mammals, reptiles, reptiles (Forman et al. 2003), landscape fragmentation (roads divide the area into isolated areas, with low populations (sometimes below the minimum), so such populations lose genetic diversity and may become extinct locally), the loss of habitats of species and a decrease in the level of connectivity. In addition to these obvious effects, noise and vibration pollution are added, which inhibit the ability of reptiles, birds and mammals to detect prey or avoid predators (Forman et al. 2003), disturbed light regime (Rich and Longcore 2006). Roads contribute to the development of soil erosion processes, the spread of invasive and introduced species (300-800 seeds/m2 per year are transported to roadside ecotones by vehicles (Von der Lippe and Kowarik 2007), which contributes to the formation of local pseudo-populations), create obstacles and sources. (Forman et al. 2003).Purpose. Substantiation of the principle of ecological continuity regarding the negative impact of transport infrastructure on natural ecosystems and search for possible ways to minimize and prevent such impact.Materials and methods. The main research methods are the application of theoretical general scientific approaches to study: analysis and synthesis of international and domestic scientific and theoretical works, EU documentation (charters, design requirements), Ukrainian legal framework, literature sources; collection and analysis of statistical data to identify the dangers of the impact of road infrastructure on biodiversity and determine the value of the natural landscape.Results. The result is an analysis of the scientific literature on the negative impact of transport infrastructure on animals, systematization of the main impacts for the preparation of methodological documents for organizations planning and designing transport infrastructure in Ukraine to reduce the negative impact.Conclusions. The principle of ensuring ecological continuity is to minimize the negative consequences for the environment. In particular, by leveling the spatial barrier of the public highway. When laying a road through natural ecosystems, it is necessary to build transitions and passages for animals. In this case, their density and type must correspond to the natural rank of the territory. The construction of crossings for animals should be mandatory for all types of roads that cross ecological corridors. This is especially true for smaller roads, completely devoid of any transitions for animals, noise shields (on such roads are more likely to hit animals). An important point is the need to plan preventive methods at the planning stage of road construction. The analysis of the European experience shows that the negative impact of transport infrastructure on biota can be solved by consolidating the efforts of road transport specialists and specialists in the field of nature protection.Keywords:motor road,wildlife crossing, biodiversity, road infrastructure, ecological continuity


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-254
Author(s):  
Soma Patra

Nine out of the last ten recessions in the United States have been preceded by an increase in the price of oil as noted by Hamilton [Palgrave Dictionary of Economics]. Given the small share of energy in gross domestic product this phenomenon is difficult to explain using standard models. In this paper, I show that firm entry can be an important transmission and amplifying channel for energy price shocks. The results from the baseline dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model predict a drop in output that is two times the impact in a model without entry. The model also predicts an increase in energy prices would lead to a decline in real wages, investment, consumption, and return on investment. Additionally, using US firm level data, I demonstrate that a rise in energy prices has a negative impact on firm entry as predicted by the DSGE model. This lends further support toward endogenizing firm entry when analyzing the effects of energy price shocks.


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