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While international trade in organic products has grown significantly, understanding consumers' preferences for imported organic foods has remained limited. This research examines the impact of country-of-origin labeling on US consumers' choices of organic foods. Results show that consumer valuation of domestically produced organic broccoli was significantly higher than that of imported organic broccoli. Adding information about USDA organic certification standards/rules for imported products mildly increases consumer valuation of imported organic broccoli in some cases. These findings suggest that providing such information may have a positive impact on consumer willingness to purchase imported organic products.JEL classifications: Q13

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Agroforestry is a key land use in the development of ecological corridors in tropical rainforests biomes. This research tested the social dimensions of agroforestry adoption and maintenance in the Atlantic rainforest of Southern Bahia, Brazil. A quasi-experiment research design compared a group of farmers who participated in an agroforestry development program with a group of similar farmers who were not participants in the program. The effects of the program on the participants' self-efficacy, attitudes and intentions to adopt or maintain agroforestry were tested. The effects of socio-economic factors and attitudes were also compared to selfefficacy in terms of farmers' intentions to adopt or maintain agroforestry. Results indicate that the program neither raised nor lowered the farmers' attitudes, self-efficacy or intentions to adopt or maintain agroforestry. However, multiple regression and logistic model analyses indicate that perceived behavioral control, attitudes about conservation and available labor contributed most significantly to farmers' intentions to adopt or maintain agroforestry. Overall, perceived behavioral control proved to have the most significant correlation with farmers' intentions to adopt or maintain agroforestry. Therefore, agroforestry development programs could benefit from focusing on farmers' perceived control of certain behaviors to enhance the persistence of agroforestry practices.

2017-08-25T16:27:47

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Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is considered a promising sustainable alternative to chemical soil fumigation (CSF), and has been shown to be effective against soilborne diseases, plant-parasitic nematodes, and weeds in several crop production systems. Nevertheless, limited information is available on the effects of ASD on crop yield and quality. Therefore, a field study was conducted on fresh-market tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in two different locations in Florida (Immokalee and Citra), to evaluate and compare the ASD and CSF performances on weed and nematodes control, and on fruit yield and quality. In Immokalee, Pic-Clor 60 (1,3-dichloropropene + chloropicrin) was used as the CSF, whereas in Citra, the CSF was Paldin™ [dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) + chloropicrin]. Anaerobic soil disinfestation treatments were applied using a mix of composted poultry litter (CPL) at the rate of 22 Mg·ha−1, and two rates of molasses [13.9 (ASD1) and 27.7 m3·ha−1 (ASD2)] as a carbon (C) source. In both locations, soil subjected to ASD reached highly anaerobic conditions, and cumulative soil anaerobiosis was 167% and 116% higher in ASD2 plots than in ASD1 plots, in Immokalee and Citra, respectively. In Immokalee, the CSF provided the most significant weed control, but ASD treatments also suppressed weeds enough to prevent an impact on yield. In Citra, all treatments, including the CSF, provided poor weed control relative to the Immokalee site. In both locations, the application of ASD provided a level of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne sp.) control equivalent to, or more effective than the CSF. In Immokalee, ASD2 and ASD1 plots provided 26.7% and 19.7% higher total marketable yield as compared with CSF plots, respectively. However, in Citra, total marketable yield was unaffected by soil treatments. Tomato fruit quality parameters were not influenced by soil treatments, except for fruit firmness in Immokalee, which was significantly higher in fruits from ASD treatments than in those from CSF soil. Fruit mineral content was similar or higher in ASD plots as compared with CSF. In fresh-market tomato, ASD applied using a mixture of CPL and molasses may be a sustainable alternative to CSF for maintaining or even improving marketable yield and fruit quality.