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The beef sector has undergone a series of changes as a result of successive food scares and agricultural policy reforms. The purpose of the paper is to analyse technical efficiency and profitability in Spanish livestock enterprises during the 1990s, focusing on the possible impact of the BSE crisis and the 1992 CAP reform on each of these variables. The main findings reveal the existence of technical inefficiency during the sample period. Some factors have a positive impact, others a negative impact, on efficiency. As far as the effects of CAP reform and the BSE crisis are concerned, the results show the ineffectiveness of agricultural policy regulation to promote efficiency in the sector and the improvement in the efficiency as a consequence of the BSE crisis. The profitability analysis reveals the importance of direct subsidies, however. In their absence, a large percentage of holdings is unable to remunerate either own or rented factors. Analysis shows, therefore, that there are two counteracting effects from subsidies. On the one hand, they form a major part of the resources of livestock farmers, allowing them to meet input costs and preventing land abandonment. On the other hand, they have a significant negative impact on the level of technical efficiency estimated.

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Our aim was to explore the adaptation choices to climate change in the grapevine regions of Spain from two points of view. First, what are the main reasons for concern? Second, how large is the adaptation effort in each region? We address the first question by measuring sensitivity to climate change with Huglin, Cold Night and Dryness Indices over the entire territory, providing information on the adaptation type (e.g. varieties, zoning, water allocation). We then estimate probabilistic projections across scenario, zone and sensitivity indices in the 56 Protected Designation of Origin areas to inform on the magnitude of the adaptation effort. Second, we propose an adaptation effort measure that is framed according to the local environmental context. Results suggest that most areas urgently need an adaptation plan due to the deterioration of production and quality indices as a result of climate change. Potential opportunities in many climate regions might be limited by current policy. The production objectives of quality and quantity trade-offs will probably need to be revised by analysing the sustainability of grapevine production.

Summary An increasing variety of stresses and shocks provides challenges and opportunities for EU farming systems. This article presents findings of a participatory assessment on the sustainability and resilience of eleven EU farming systems, to inform the design of adequate and relevant strategies and policies. According to stakeholders that participated in workshops, the main functions of farming systems are related to food production, economic viability and maintenance of natural resources. Performance of farming systems assessed with regard to these and five other functions was perceived to be moderate. Past strategies were often geared towards making the system more profitable, and to a lesser extent towards coupling production with local and natural resources, social self‐organisation, enhancing functional diversity, and facilitating infrastructure for innovation. Overall, the resilience of the studied farming systems was perceived as low to moderate, with robustness and adaptability often dominant over transformability. To allow for transformability, being reasonably profitable and having access to infrastructure for innovation were viewed as essential. To improve sustainability and resilience of EU farming systems, responses to short‐term processes should better consider long‐term processes. Technological innovation is required, but it should be accompanied with structural, social, agro‐ecological and institutional changes.

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-China is one of the most attractive wine markets and a hopeful wine producer in the twenty-first century. Current studies of wine in China tend to focus on the wine market but seldom analyze the domestic wine industry, which contributes approximately 70% of the total wine consumed in the country. This paper reviews the wine history and the development of wine in China and analyses the current situation and perspectives of the Chinese wine industry, considering both traditional conditions such as wine production and wine policies, as well as new conditions such as e-commerce, climate change and domestic economy trend. We present a "SWOT" (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the Chinese wine industry considering four sectors (producing, processing, selling and consuming) and we use a SWOT matrix analysis to identify possible improvement strategies. Finally, we propose strategies for the development of the Chinese wine industry at governmental level, industrial level and business level.