Impact of Agricultural Policies on the Sustainable Greenhouse Development in Biskra Region (Algeria)

Abstract

Since its appearance in Algerian agriculture, the greenhouse production system has turned the agricultural sector upside down, bringing great advantages for production in terms of quality and quantity, creating a very important socio-economic dynamic, especially in the Saharan region. This paper makes a new contribution by providing information on the impact of agricultural policies on greenhouse development in Biskra (southeastern city in Algeria). This study aims to understand the type of farms/farmers most specialized in greenhouses as well as the relationship between the use of these land acquisition and financing policies (PNDA) and their degree of specialization in greenhouses. A field survey was held from February to April 2021 in the M’ziraa region (a municipality of Biskra City), completing 97 questionnaires. Collected data were analysed by Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and Truncated regression. The results show that farmers who used PNDA to acquire the land and for greenhouse investments and those with a lower education level are less likely to specialize in greenhouse production. Similarly, the effect of farm size is negative on the specialization in greenhouse production. Conversely, we found that farmers who do not directly manage the farm and those who have a longer experience with greenhouse production invest a higher share of their land in greenhouses.

Exploring Key Insights for the Future in Agricultural Policy Research for Sustainability

“…The relationship between sustainable agricultural policies and various factors can be complex. For example, a study in Algeria found that farmers who used land acquisition and financing policies were less likely to specialize in greenhouse production, suggesting that these policies may not always lead to the desired outcomes [11]. Another study in China found that land transfer can significantly improve the level of agricultural green production, but it can also inhibit it, depending on various factors such as the family's long-term agricultural labor, social capital, migrant experience, non-agricultural income, and household clean energy use [12].…”