The productive efficiency of organic farming: the case of grape sector in Catalonia
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Author
Guesmi, B.
Serra, T.
Kallas, Z.
Gil Roig, J.M.
Publication date
2012-06-07ISSN
1695-971X
Abstract
Knowledge about productivity and efficiency differences between conventional and organic farms has important
implications for the evaluation of the economic viability of these two agricultural practices. The main purpose of this
study was to compare the efficiency ratings of organic and conventional grape farms in Catalonia. To do so, we fit a
stochastic production frontier to cross sectional, farm-level data collected from a sample of 141 Catalan farms that
specialize in grape growing. Results show that organic farmers, on average, are more efficient than their conventional
counterparts (efficiency ratings are on the order of 0.80 and 0.64, respectively). Apart from adoption of organic practices, experience is also found to improve technical efficiency. Conversely, technical efficiency tends to decrease with
the relevance of unpaid family labor, farm location in less favored areas, and farmers’ strong environmental preservation preferences.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
33 - Economics. Economic science
633 - Field crops and their production
Pages
15
Publisher
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
Is part of
Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research
Citation
Guesmi, Bouali, Teresa Serra, Zein Kallas, and José M. Gil. 2012. “The Productive Efficiency of Organic Farming: The Case of Grape Sector in Catalonia.” Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 10 (3): 552-566. doi:10.5424/sjar/2012103-462-11.
Grant agreement number
INIA/Programa nacional de recursos y tecnologías agroalimentarias/RTA2006-00002-00-00/ES/Principales factores determinantes de las decisiones de producción y consumo de alimentos ecológicos/
Program
Economia Agroalimentària
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2556]
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/