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The objective of this paper is to measure total factor productivity growth in a panel of sheep farms in Greece and assess the relative contribution of technical change, technical efficiency change and scale efficiency change in observed productivity growth. Such decomposition can be useful in planning well defined policies which can support the sector's sustainable development via the optimization of input/output use. A stochastic frontier production function approach is adopted and maximum likelihood is used to estimate the parameters. The data used for the econometric estimation are obtained from the Greek Farm Accounting Data Network for the period 1997-2002. TFP has been growing in the sector but at a diminishing rate. The major determinant of productivity growth is technical change, which has been shifting the frontier by 2.4% on average during this period, but is counteracted to some extent by technical and scale inefficiency each reducing TFP growth by about 0.3% p.a.

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The present study aims to review the literature on the functioning of short value chains and public perceptions regarding indigenous farm animal breeds (IFABs), local plant varieties (LPVs), and their products. Our work mainly concerns Greece, providing additional concrete examples from the wider Balkan area, which is characterized by high agrobiodiversity and richness in various IFAB and LPV, enhanced by the extensive farming systems that still operate in many parts of the area. To achieve this goal, a systematic literature search of recent relevant studies was performed, followed by a description of their results and conclusions, as well as proposed measures and policies for the conservation and utilization of biodiversity in agricultural and livestock systems. According to our findings, the Balkan region is characterized by a great wealth of local plant varieties and indigenous breeds of farm animals, which is largely recognized by consumers, who would, however, recommend stronger eco-labeling of local agricultural products. Similar data are observed in Greece, which are reinforced by the Mediterranean climatic environment. NGO organizations occasionally play an important role in promoting local agricultural products and creating awareness about the need to preserve local breeds and plant varieties. Finally, the recognition, certification, and measurements carried out by local authorities, as well as EU regulations, are of great importance in highlighting the value of agrobiodiversity from a sustainable point of view.

PurposeThe present study aims at investigating consumers' pork meat quality perception, focusing on the stage prior to consumption. Furthermore, market segmentation is attempted on the basis of specific socio‐demographic characteristics, pork consumption habits and quality perception.Design/methodology/approachA field research was performed in a Greek urban area, Thessaloniki. The research was based on consumers' quality evaluations of pork meat pictures, which were computer‐manipulated to acquire different levels of two intrinsic quality cues (colour and marbling), while labels were added indicating various levels of two extrinsic quality cues (price and origin). Data were analysed by means of conjoint analysis.FindingsResults indicate that Greek consumers appear to attach more importance to marbling when forming pork quality judgments. Price is classified second in importance closely followed by colour, while country of origin appears to be the least important factor affecting quality perception of pork.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has employed only a number of quality cues, hypothesising that these cues principally influence consumers' decisions on pork quality. This restricted number of cues was decided so that consumers could more easily and effectively respond to the data collection procedure. As a result, some cues that could possibly be used by consumers were not included.Originality/valueAlthough quality perception of meat has been researched before in Greece, the procedure followed in the present study was employed for the first time to investigate quality perception of pork meat.

Peri-urban and urban green are considered among the basic priorities of the local government’s regional policy agenda, in line with the principles of spatial planning. This agenda is promoted at both the national and European levels through a variety of technical and institutional measures. Green spaces in urban and suburban areas are directly linked to the quality of life of urban residents and their environment. In this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate and identify the characteristics and factors that influence the residents of a small Greek city in terms of the value they attach to urban and suburban green spaces. These factors are identified through the residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) using the contingent valuation method (CVM). In general, the analysis aims to document the value of environmental economic methods as a tool in the management of natural heritage. According to the research, income and knowledge of environmental issues (global and local) as well as the benefits of green spaces (urban and suburban) are the key factors that drive residents to place a higher value on them. Future work may explore whether or how the COVID-19 pandemic affected city residents’ willingness to pay for green spaces.

The last ten years have witnessed an increase in publications focusing on bioeconomy as a proposal to confront the global challenges of climate change, depletion of non-renewable resources and ecosystem degradation. This paper investigates the scientific literature on issues related agricultural bioeconomy by applying a bibliometric network analysis. Bibliometric analysis is applied to the publications of the Scopus database during the period 2010–2020 in order to provide an overview of the main aspects that characterize agricultural bioeconomy. The results showed that out of a total of 1100 scientific papers, only 2.45% were published in 2010, while the corresponding share in 2020 was 20.81%. In the five years of 2016–2020, cumulatively, 70.63% of the publications were made, showing the dynamic evolution of bioeconomy. In addition, out of 85 countries in total, Germany and Italy are the two countries with most publications, while the fragmentation of research is evident with the creation of two main nodes, the European and the American. Moreover, keyword analysis showed that biomass and sustainability are two main recurring concepts, confirming that, currently, bioeconomy operates at three different levels: energy demand, land demand, and governance. It is apparent that to boost the development of agricultural bioeconomy, the following aspects should be assessed: the effective use of resources, an understanding of the key drivers of agricultural bioeconomy, and a clear perception of their associations. There is still no consensus as to which are the key factors that will accelerate its sustainable development. Our pursuit is to use the tools of bibliometric analysis to reach more critical conclusions regarding the agricultural bioeconomy, rather than approach it in a static way.

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