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This study explores the technical and scale efficiency of two types of Greek fishing vessels, small-scale vessels and bottom trawlers, using a bias-corrected input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis model. Moreover, the associations between efficiency scores and vessel's and skipper's characteristics are also explored. The results indicate that small-scale vessels achieve a very low average technical efficiency score (0.42) but a much higher scale efficiency score (0.81). Conversely, bottom trawlers achieve lower scale but higher technical efficiency scores (0.68 and 0.73, respectively). One important finding of this study is that the technical efficiency of small-scale vessels, in contrast to trawlers, is positively associated with the experience of the skipper. In a looser context, it can be said that small-scale fisheries mainly rely on skill, whereas bottom trawlers rely more on technology. This study concludes that there is space for improvement in efficiency, mainly for small-scale vessels, which could allow the achievement of the same level of output by using reduced inputs.

During the last decade, an encouraging environment for the restructuring and modernization of the agricultural sector has formed in Greece. The diversification into higher-value crops can be a promising option for small and average-sized farms, particularly during the current economic crisis. One of the most promising alternative crops that have been recently established in Greece is the organic Aloe vera crop. The main advantage of this crop is that it can utilize poor farmlands and, therefore, can facilitate rural development in marginal areas. This study explores the economic sustainability of the Aloe vera crop, considering the embedded risk and uncertainty. The results indicate that organic aloe farming is a promising alternative to "traditional" crops in Greece, particularly for family farms in rural areas. In contrast, this activity is not advisable to the most entrepreneurial type of farmers, unless their crop size allows economies of scales. Finally, the Stochastic Efficiency with Respect to a Function (SERF) analysis associates farmers' risk attitude with their willingness to be involved in organic Aloe vera farming. SERF analysis highlights the crucial role of farmers' risk aversion and concludes that, above a certain level of risk aversion, farmers have no incentive to adopt this economic activity.

Organic farming has experienced a vast increase within the EU. Especially in Greece, the rapid growth of the organic sector, since the early '90s, was accompanied by the introduction of various organic crops. Among them, organic fruit crops have been gradually introduced, as farmers have realised the promising growth of the demand for organic fruits. However, organic farmers face significant yield and price risks, which combined with the high initial establishment costs, provoke difficult investment decisions. Rational farmers are willing to adopt organic farming only if the economic outcomes outweigh the associated increased risk and uncertainty. This study employs stochastic efficiency analysis to compare the economic outcomes of organic and conventional cherry production in Northern Greece. It, thus, explores whether the expansion of organic cherry production generates satisfactory economic results for farmers and whether it can be regarded as a promising alternative to conventional production activity. Results reveal that the current Greek policy scheme may endanger investments in organic cherry farming. Further assessment of the impact of varying organic subsidy and discount rate levels on the net present value underlines the detrimental effects of the financial crisis. An enhanced policy framework is required to enable and support climate-smart agriculture.

One of the main ecological challenges that agricultural and especially livestock production systems face is the adoption of management practices that encourage the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while maintaining their production level. According to the relevant literature, the potential for GHG reduction lies mainly in greater efficiency in meat and dairy production, which suggests that the ecological modernization of livestock farms follows the efficiency/substitution pathway. This study aims to investigate the above assumption and explore the link between the technical efficiency (TE) and environmental efficiency (EE) of livestock farms using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The analysis focuses on dairy sheep farming, since the activity is important for the Greek rural economy while at the same time responsible for half of the country’s agricultural methane emissions. Results indicate that the correlation between technical and environmental efficiency of sheep farms is significant. Environmental efficiency is affected by farm size, specialization and production orientation. Feeding practices, like the ratio of concentrates to forage, also appear to have a positive effect on environmental efficiency. On the other hand, experienced farmers tend to have lower environmental efficiency, which may indicate their reluctance to adopt modern farming practices.

This study examines the evolution of the regional per capita income from the perspective of a policymaker at the national level. To do that, it utilizes stochastic dominance analysis by including a utility function that expresses the “regional inequalities aversion” level of the policymaker. In this way, the analysis indicates how the policymakers rank income distributions according to their primary policy objectives and more specifically, GDP growth and diminishing of income inequalities. Data refer to the per capita GDPs of the Greek prefectures during the period 2000–2017, in real terms. The estimation of certainty equivalents provides a numeric index of preference among regional income distributions according to the policy objectives mix. Results indicate that the period 2000–2017 is characterized by different patterns of regional income evolutions. Overall, there is no regional convergence from year 2000 to 2017, while the evolution of regional income does not follow a constant path. The analysis provides thoughtful insights into the way that different policy targets and preferences can affect the relevant ranking of income distributions. In a certain level of policymakers’ “regional inequalities aversion”, a balance between economic growth and diminishing of regional inequalities targets is assumed. Apart from a useful tool in economic research, this quantification approach can also be utilized in policy design for setting more appropriate policy targets, based on the preferences of policymakers at the national level.

Simple SummaryAgriculture and particularly livestock farming is associated with the production of certain gases that contribute to global warming, commonly referred to as greenhouse gases. These gases are the result of the use of machinery and other inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides or are associated with the digestion process of animals. In this work, we have analyzed data from dairy goat farms in Greece to estimate the amount of greenhouse gases per kilogram of milk produced and identify farming practices that can result in their reduction. We found that greenhouse gases per kilogram of milk are fewer in farms that are characterized by higher milk production per goat. Furthermore, certain practices like the use of homegrown feed instead of purchased feed and the use of compound feedstuffs or oil-rich feedstuffs like cottonseed cake can result in lower greenhouse gases in goat farms. Also, the analysis suggests that the reduction of greenhouse gases can lead to a reduction of farm income, especially in the case of intensive farms. This finding has to be taken into consideration by policy makers and possible measures to compensate for this income loss have to be explored.AbstractDairy goat farming is an important agricultural activity in the Mediterranean region. In Greece the activity offers occupation and income to thousands of families mainly located in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas of the country where it utilizes low productivity pastures and shrub lands. Furthermore, goats are more resilient to climate changes compared to other species, and are often characterized as ideal for keeping in drought areas. However, there is still limited evidence on total greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted from goat farms and their mitigation potential. In this context, this study aims to estimate GHG emissions of goat farms in Greece and explore their abatement options using an economic optimization model. Three case studies are explored i.e., an extensive, a semi-intensive and an intensive goat farm that correspond to the main goat production systems identified in Greece. The analysis aims to assess total GHGs as well as the impact of abatement on the structures, gross margins and labor inputs of the farms under investigation. The issue of the marginal abatement cost is also addressed. The results indicate that the extensive farm causes higher emissions/kg of milk produced (4.08 kg CO2-eq) compared to the semi-intensive and intensive farms (2.04 kg and 1.82 kg of CO2-equivelants, respectively). The results also emphasize the higher marginal abatement cost of the intensive farm. In all farm types, abatement is achieved primarily through the reduction of the livestock capital and secondarily by other appropriate farming practices, like substitution of purchased feed with homegrown feed.

In the European Union (EU), homogenous inflation forces are expected to prevail because of increased economic integration, especially after the creation of a single currency area. This expectation is directly related to the issue of inflation convergence, which has gained increasing attention by both academics and policy makers in Europe. Although the examination of core inflation is of great importance for macroeconomic policy, the role of disaggregate inflation indices, and especially food inflation, has also been emphasized in the literature. However, the issue of food inflation convergence has been largely ignored to date in empirical studies. This study explores the evolving distribution of food inflation rates in the EU-25 member states using distribution dynamics analysis and covering the period from January 1997 to March 2011. This analysis assumes that each country represents an independent observation, providing unique information that can be used to estimate the transition dynamics of inflation. We show that spatial autocorrelation prevails inside the EU-25, and, therefore, the independency assumption is violated. To ensure spatial independence, the Getis spatial filter is implemented prior to a distribution dynamics analysis. The results of this analysis confirm the existence of convergence trends, which are even clearer after the spatial filtering procedure, indicating, on the one hand, the influence of spatial effects on food inflation and, on the other hand, the effectiveness of the Getis spatial filtering technique.