A Comparative Analysis of the Organic Food Market in Turkey, EU, and US

Conventional agriculture has long been criticized about its negative externalities on issues like public health, environment, biodiversity, and all ecological systems on the planet such as environmental pollution, soil erosion, reduction of animal welfare, and negative impacts of GMOs. As an alternative production system to address these problems, organic agriculture has been developed worldwide since the 1970s. In this chapter, an overview of organic agriculture and food market is given and a comparative analysis between organic agricultural markets in EU, US, and Turkey is made after an outlook on the world organic food market. It is seen that EU and US are forthcoming leaders in the organic food market, whilst Turkey remains behind many developed countries in terms of organic production, per capita consumption, and retail sales.

The Role of Human Resource Management in Agriculture Sector Enterprises

Agribusiness firms are faced with several challenges like globalization, internationalization of business, the introduction of new technologies, especially the digitalization process, higher competitiveness of foreign agribusiness firms, etc. One of the very important challenges is the effective management of human capital. Although it is one of the most important management activities in each firm, human resource management (HRM) in the agribusiness sector is still unexplored in terms of scientific research and practical implementation. This chapter explores the nature and specifics of human resources management in agribusiness enterprises, and presents the practice of the basic and most important HRM activities in agribusiness firms in Serbia, on the example of 12 organizations that were investigated. The methodology used in the research is based on a theoretical investigation of available literature and data from worldwide databases but also from Cranet project, one of the largest and well-known, world-wide HRM projects.

Produce Internationally, Consume Locally

China is one of the world's biggest importers of agricultural products. Until quite recently, China's agricultural policy focused on food self-sufficiency. Globalizing trade in agricultural commodities, however, has brought new challenges to establishing secure supply and achieving security rather than self-sufficiency. In the face of emerging trade tensions with the USA, one of China's responses to the emerging volatility of the global market is to expand production facilities abroad and thus diversify deliveries. This chapter discusses how China's Belt and Road Initiative may serve improving food security of the country by establishing of a predictable system of agricultural production and trade across Eurasia, particularly, with the involvement of land-abundant Russia and the countries of Central Asia. The author explores possible responses to emerging threats to China's domestic food market by elaborating an approach to theoretical definitions and practical issues of ensurance of food security and adaptation of China's policy to contemporary global challenges.

Importance of Plant Production in Development of Rural Areas

This chapter analyzes plant production from the perspective of development rural areas and it is based on the case study for rural areas on territory of Smederevo. The main goal of this chapter points to the current situation in plant production as one of the most important agricultural activities and that creates the basis for future development. It will be presented data collected from Census of agriculture, yearbooks, and local reports, but also data collected in the field. The authors apply theoretical and practical frame of research based on the case of study, which is oriented on used agricultural land, realized production and yield in period 2013-2017.

Bio-Farming as the Basis of Environmentally-Sustainable Arable Farming at the Time of Global Warming

The concept of environmentally sustainable farming, in which the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is compensated by the accumulation of organic carbon in the arable horizon and deposited in the subsoil, is substantiated. The rationale for agrotechnical methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is given. Authors discuss new approaches to the management of soil fertility, plant productivity, and resistance of agrocenoses, based on the principles of bio-farming, the laws of soil fertility, root-circulation, and the management of edaphy and epiphytic processes. Their use allows one to improve soil fertility and purposefully increase the potential and effective resource of agricultural production. The large-scale implementation of the principles of bio-farming in agricultural production during the global warming requires the elaboration of special programs for the development of the agro-industrial complex, its geo-information support, including monitoring of land fertility using GIS technologies.

A Study on Youth Aspiration and Perception of Agriculture and Its Policy Implications

Food security is becoming a generational problem whereby farming is increasingly synonymous with the older generation. To ensure food security through increased production, more youth participation in agriculture sector is crucial and policies need to encourage youths in the sector. How young people respond to opportunities and whether agriculture can meet their aspirations are critical in terms of food security and future employment. It is critical for policymakers to think beyond the conception of youth as just labour for agriculture production. The aspirations and the expectations of youths need to be addressed to motivate their interest in agriculture.

Critical Factors for Technology Transfer in Cattle Production

Cattle production plays an important role in economic development and food security. Developed countries have achieved optimum levels of production through the implementation of technologies that have allowed efficient use of resources. In contrast, in the developing countries, despite their suitable means of production, such as large tracts of land dedicated to livestock, and programs of nutrition and health, farmers have not widely adopted reproductive and productive supplementation. Therefore, this chapter explores the main critical factors that limit the transfer of technology in bovine production systems, analyzing the interaction between the models, actors, and means of production.

Problems of Marketing Rural Tourism in Serbia

Rural tourism can have some benefits from the use of marketing theory. Marketing is increasingly used on the one hand to help in the planning and promotion of traditional tourist centers, and on the other hand lacks expertise in its application in rural areas. Certain municipal tourist organizations tried to eliminate this situation in their areas, but in all likelihood there is insufficient evidence that they have produced anything more than poor marketing proposals. Authors want to emphasize that individuals in some areas have done a lot in developing the application of marketing in rural tourism. On the basis of all this, authors can point out that in this area much more can be done.

Cautious Entrepreneurship

Employing qualitative empirical data collected in Italy and England for a doctoral research on small-scale primary food producers in the alternative food economy, this chapter provides an interpretation of the peculiar nature of the entrepreneurialism that characterizes those small-scale farmers who entrust their economic reproduction (at least partially) to short, direct supply chains and alternative food networks (AFNs). The chapter summarizes the strategies implemented by farmers to ‘go alternative' as well as the subsequent transformation of growing and business practices that such a process entails, for then comparing the researcher's empirical results with four studies on farmers' entrepreneurialism. Issues of care, trust, change-orientedness, risk-taking, lifestyle, and autonomy are discussed, and farmers' entrepreneurial spirit is found to be cautious, due to the interplay of a traditional farming business orientation, a more pronounced relational disposition, and the characteristics and requirements of the alternative economy in which farmers are embedded.

Food, Rural Heritage, and Tourism in the Local Economy

This chapter focuses on the manifestations of the values of the gastronomic cultural heritage in geographically and ethnically different territories in southeastern European countries such as Serbia, Romania, Turkey, and Italy. The chapter explores how the development of gastronomy and the food heritage can help to protect rural heritage values. This study used qualitative method. Case studies were used to summarize the local survey results and to consider how an entrepreneurial culture can enhance locally produced food as a value-added touristic experience. Case study surveys in the four countries enable us to get an insight into the cultural values of the gastronomic heritage in each of them, to formulate gastronomic cultural heritage marketing development paths to continue to increase the demand for these values, and hence to revitalize economic activity in the local rural communities. There is a wide variety of different practices in different regions and countries.