Economics of organic and conventional hazelnut production in the Terme district of Samsun, Turkey

Abstract

Understanding the economics of organic agriculture is crucial to support of organic production by policy-makers and to facilitate producers converting their lands to organic production. The aim of this research was to compare organic and conventional hazelnut producers, in terms of their socio-economic characteristics, production systems and economic performance. The main data were gathered with surveys of 64 randomly selected conventional hazelnut producers and all the organic hazelnut producers (39) living in villages of the Terme district of Samsun, Turkey in 2005. Results revealed that, compared to conventional hazelnut producers, organic hazelnut producers were more educated, had larger hazelnut areas and spent more time on agricultural activities. The current research also used cluster analysis to define relatively similar farmers from both production systems and to compare variables. Organic producers needed more labor, especially hired workers, and used more lime, organic fertilizer and insect traps, while conventional producers used more synthetic inputs. Organic producers had lower costs of production and had higher income. It is recommended that the organic producers be supported financially, and assisted by research and extension services to produce and use their own inputs, rather than purchasing from outside. They should also be encouraged to establish associations to increase their marketing efficiency.

Economic and Financial Comparison between Organic and Conventional Farming in Sicilian Lemon Orchards

“…Considering production cost relative to product unity, registered values equal to 36.14 €/q (organic) and to 31.78 €/q (conventional) have been recorded. The higher production cost of conventional farm, as well as in other studies [71,72], is mainly attributable to labor and material and services costs, that have greater incidence respect to organic farm because of higher lemon yield and different utilized products (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides). In addition, organic production appears to use more renewable resources and less purchased energy and materials, obtaining a more sustainable production [73,74].…”

The comparison of social networks between organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Samsun

“…The studies on comparison of organic and conventional producers focuses on socio-economic issues (Padel, 2001;Pimental et al, 2005;Demiryürek and Ceyhan, 2008), sustainability (Greer et al, 2008;Cisilino and Madau, 2007;Reganold et al, 2001;Rigby et al, 2001), adoption of innovations (Padel, 2001), motivation (Lamine and Bellon, 2008), and risk attitudes (Demiryürek et al, 2006).…”

“…In the studies that compare organic and conventional farming, data are obtained from early conducted studies (Demiryürek, 2010) and producers through questionnaire forms by face to face interviews (Padel, 2008;Demiryürek et al, 2006;Demiryürek and Ceyhan, 2008).…”

A Comparative Cost-Benefit Analysis of Conventional and Organic Hazelnuts Production Systems in Center Italy

“…To the best of our knowledge, no analyses have been made to compare the economic profitability of conventional and organic hazelnuts farming systems. Some studies have been performed to compare organic and conventional economic performances of other crops, usually utilizing a cost-benefit analysis [11][12][13]. On the other side, related to hazelnut cultivation in other geographical areas, some attention has been paid to the environmental performance of this crop [14][15][16] or similar ones (e.g., pistachio, almonds) [17].…”