Most authors have referred to the likelihood of having an identified successor in the family as a... more Most authors have referred to the likelihood of having an identified successor in the family as an influential factor affecting several family farm management decisions. Here, we investigate this relationship for a selection of such decisions: the timing of farmers' retirement; the willingness of farmers to change their current mix of activities; their readiness to adopt new farm activities; and their attitude towards intensifying production. The categorical data analysed, mostly Likert scales, came from a postal survey carried out in 2001–2002 of a sample of 13,516 German, British and Portuguese farmers, with just over 4,600 valid responses. Statistical association between the variables was examined by computing the ?2 statistic and testing for the null hypothesis of no association between the various pairs of variables. The main conclusions are that the likelihood of having a successor was positively related to the planned length of active farmers' lives, to farmers' a...
Organic farming is booming in Portugal. CAP subsidies are the main reason beyond this boom. Conve... more Organic farming is booming in Portugal. CAP subsidies are the main reason beyond this boom. Converted farms are still a small proportion of the country’s total farms. They are mostly extensive (low input) Mediterranean farms located in the mainland interior and less developed regions. Large farms and highly educated farmers are the ones converting. Olive oil is the main organic production. The market for organic products in Portugal is segmented and distribution channels are narrow. In general, people are not aware of organic products and/or lack the money to pay the required price premium. However, a segment of highly educated consumers with above average income do exist. Two private bodies provide certification for organic products under the supervision of the Government. Several national and regional Associations provide technical support, training and education to farmers but they face many barriers. The lack of public environmental education and the lack of research on the sect...
Em 2012, a area cultivada mundialmente com sementes e plantas classificadas como Organismos Genet... more Em 2012, a area cultivada mundialmente com sementes e plantas classificadas como Organismos Geneticamente Modificados (OGM) cresceu 6% atingindo cerca de 170 milhoes de hectares, seguindo uma tendencia sustentada de crescimento, que se verifica desde 1996 (ano da introducao da primeira variedade OGM cultivada). Commodities agricolas fundamentais, como a soja, o milho, o algodao e a colza sao crescentemente produzidas a partir de OGM. Hoje em dia, mais de 4/5 da soja globalmente produzida tem origem em OGM; no caso do milho, esta fraccao ja ultrapassou a metade da producao mundial.
The Portuguese olive oil market had a remarkable development in recent years. Production is risin... more The Portuguese olive oil market had a remarkable development in recent years. Production is rising steadily is response to a EU program supporting a renewal of olive groves. Moreover there is a proliferation of national brands and private labels. These are often associated to regional collective labels or to organic production. The aim of our research is to determine how consumers value these nested names or co-brands. We conducted a pilot survey on a convenience sample of 103 consumers in the Oporto and Lisbon metropolitan areas as well in a rural area. Our results reveal some contradictions, for instance while origin is an important purchasing criteria, few PDO olive oils are recognized. Moreover, only 25% of respondents identify organic olive oils sold in the market and this attribute is one of the last purchasing criteria, but organic olive oils have the highest willingness to pay. Finally we find that associating a PDO to private labels increases willingness to pay by 33.3%, bu...
The objectives of the research were: i) to assess the in-conversion period as a barrier impeding ... more The objectives of the research were: i) to assess the in-conversion period as a barrier impeding farms conversion to organic; ii) to assess the potential of conversion-grade markets in removing this barrier; iii) to identify other barriers (drives) along the food chain impeding (easing) farms conversion in mainland Portugal. Results show that the in-conversion period is not the major barrier to conversion nor is a good idea the set-up of conversion grade markets to help Portuguese farms' conversion. Conversion feasibility depends of the organic market premium prices, in intensive farms, and of the CAP organic agri-environmental area payments, in extensive farms.
Most authors have referred to the likelihood of having an identified successor in the family as a... more Most authors have referred to the likelihood of having an identified successor in the family as an influential factor affecting several family farm management decisions. Here, we investigate this relationship for a selection of such decisions: the timing of farmers' retirement; the willingness of farmers to change their current mix of activities; their readiness to adopt new farm activities; and their attitude towards intensifying production. The categorical data analysed, mostly Likert scales, came from a postal survey carried out in 2001–2002 of a sample of 13,516 German, British and Portuguese farmers, with just over 4,600 valid responses. Statistical association between the variables was examined by computing the ?2 statistic and testing for the null hypothesis of no association between the various pairs of variables. The main conclusions are that the likelihood of having a successor was positively related to the planned length of active farmers' lives, to farmers' a...
Organic farming is booming in Portugal. CAP subsidies are the main reason beyond this boom. Conve... more Organic farming is booming in Portugal. CAP subsidies are the main reason beyond this boom. Converted farms are still a small proportion of the country’s total farms. They are mostly extensive (low input) Mediterranean farms located in the mainland interior and less developed regions. Large farms and highly educated farmers are the ones converting. Olive oil is the main organic production. The market for organic products in Portugal is segmented and distribution channels are narrow. In general, people are not aware of organic products and/or lack the money to pay the required price premium. However, a segment of highly educated consumers with above average income do exist. Two private bodies provide certification for organic products under the supervision of the Government. Several national and regional Associations provide technical support, training and education to farmers but they face many barriers. The lack of public environmental education and the lack of research on the sect...
Em 2012, a area cultivada mundialmente com sementes e plantas classificadas como Organismos Genet... more Em 2012, a area cultivada mundialmente com sementes e plantas classificadas como Organismos Geneticamente Modificados (OGM) cresceu 6% atingindo cerca de 170 milhoes de hectares, seguindo uma tendencia sustentada de crescimento, que se verifica desde 1996 (ano da introducao da primeira variedade OGM cultivada). Commodities agricolas fundamentais, como a soja, o milho, o algodao e a colza sao crescentemente produzidas a partir de OGM. Hoje em dia, mais de 4/5 da soja globalmente produzida tem origem em OGM; no caso do milho, esta fraccao ja ultrapassou a metade da producao mundial.
The Portuguese olive oil market had a remarkable development in recent years. Production is risin... more The Portuguese olive oil market had a remarkable development in recent years. Production is rising steadily is response to a EU program supporting a renewal of olive groves. Moreover there is a proliferation of national brands and private labels. These are often associated to regional collective labels or to organic production. The aim of our research is to determine how consumers value these nested names or co-brands. We conducted a pilot survey on a convenience sample of 103 consumers in the Oporto and Lisbon metropolitan areas as well in a rural area. Our results reveal some contradictions, for instance while origin is an important purchasing criteria, few PDO olive oils are recognized. Moreover, only 25% of respondents identify organic olive oils sold in the market and this attribute is one of the last purchasing criteria, but organic olive oils have the highest willingness to pay. Finally we find that associating a PDO to private labels increases willingness to pay by 33.3%, bu...
The objectives of the research were: i) to assess the in-conversion period as a barrier impeding ... more The objectives of the research were: i) to assess the in-conversion period as a barrier impeding farms conversion to organic; ii) to assess the potential of conversion-grade markets in removing this barrier; iii) to identify other barriers (drives) along the food chain impeding (easing) farms conversion in mainland Portugal. Results show that the in-conversion period is not the major barrier to conversion nor is a good idea the set-up of conversion grade markets to help Portuguese farms' conversion. Conversion feasibility depends of the organic market premium prices, in intensive farms, and of the CAP organic agri-environmental area payments, in extensive farms.
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Papers by Miguel-Jorge Sottomayor