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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Economics, Policies and Rural Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2025 | Viewed by 14885

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Dr. Sanzidur Rahman

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School of Agriculture, Policy and Development (SAPD), University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UR, UK
Interests: agricultural and resources economics; productivity and efficiency; technological progress in agriculture; sustainable agriculture; poverty, inequality and sustainable livelihoods; international development
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the journal Agriculture, entitled “Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management”, aims to publish high-quality papers that advance our understanding of issues and challenges in areas of agricultural economics, development policies and/or rural management, broadly defined.

This Special Issue aims to publish a set of feature papers in the fields of agricultural economics, policies and/or rural management. Since the audience of this section is global, the Section Editor-in-Chief welcomes articles from a diverse range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, which engage with and contribute to sustainable agriculture and/or rural development. The focus of this Special Issue is on economic analysis and policies relevant for agricultural and/or rural sectors. Articles addressing contemporary issues dealing with agriculture and food economics, development policies, ICT, agribusiness, climate change, sustainable agriculture, productivity and efficiency, poverty and sustainable livelihoods, rural–urban migration and rural management are especially welcomed. The Special Issue also welcomes critical reviews and syntheses of the current state of affairs and emerging themes in agricultural economics, policies and rural management.

Dr. Sanzidur Rahman
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

agricultural economics and policy
food economics and food security
productivity and efficiency
technological progress in agriculture
sustainable agriculture
circular economy in agriculture
agribusiness and marketing
climate change
ICT in agriculture
rural management
poverty and sustainable livelihoods

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 2770 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Revolution in Agriculture: Using Predictive Models to Enhance Agricultural Performance Through Digital Technology

by Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru

Agriculture 2025, 15(3), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15030258 - 24 Jan 2025

Viewed by 483

Abstract

Digital innovation in agriculture has become a powerful force in the modern world as it revolutionizes the agricultural sector and improves the sustainability and efficacy of farming practices. In this context, the study examines the effects of digital technology, as reflected by the digital economy and society index (DESI), on key agricultural performance metrics, including agricultural output and real labor productivity per person. The paper develops a strong analytical method for quantifying these associations using predictive models, such as exponential smoothing, ARIMA, and artificial neural networks. The method fully illustrates how economic and technological components interact, including labor productivity, agricultural output, and GDP per capita. The results demonstrate that digital technologies significantly impact agricultural output and labor productivity. These findings illustrate the importance of digital transformation in modernizing and improving agriculture’s overall efficacy. The study’s conclusion highlights the necessity of integrating digital technology into agricultural policy to address productivity problems and nurture sustainable growth in the sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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12 pages, 253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Production and Economic Indicators of Broiler Chicken Rearing in 2020–2023: A Case Study of a Polish Farm

by Michalina Adaszyńska-Skwirzyńska, Paweł Konieczka, Mateusz Bucław, Danuta Majewska, Arkadiusz Pietruszka, Sławomir Zych and Danuta Szczerbińska

Agriculture 2025, 15(2), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15020139 - 9 Jan 2025

Viewed by 606

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze and evaluate the production and economic performance of a broiler chicken farm in Poland during the years 2020–2023. Production performance was assessed by comparing final body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the European Performance Efficiency Factor (EPEF). Economic results were determined using the sales value, production costs, profit (direct surplus), and profitability index (PI). During the study years, the broiler rearing period lasted on average 40 days, with six production cycles each year. The average BW was found to be 2.51 kg with an average FCR of 1.54 kg/kg. For the four production years, the EPEF was calculated, reaching a high average value of 399. Broiler chicken production in Poland was profitable despite the continuously increasing production costs. In the years studied, the cost of feed accounted for 69.6–76.1% of the total production costs, chicks 15.0–19.7%, and labor costs 1.59–2.39%. In all of the analyzed production cycles, the PI of broiler chicken rearing was above 100, averaging 120.48%, and the average profit per bird was 0.46 EUR. During the study period, several negative events occurred, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of avian influenza outbreaks, and consequent fluctuations in feed and poultry prices. Despite these challenges, namely the consistently rising production costs, broiler production in the study farm remained profitable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

23 pages, 1168 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does the European Union Start-Up Aid Help Young Farmers to Innovate and to Join Networks?

by Anna Carbone, Felicetta Carillo, Pavel Ciaian, Roberta Sardone, Federico Antonioli and Juan Tur Cardona

Agriculture 2024, 14(10), 1772; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14101772 - 8 Oct 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1111

Abstract

The endurance and vitality of European agriculture are threatened by the aging of farmers, together with the lack of generational change. The small share of young farmers also impacts on the innovative capacity and competitiveness of the sector. The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union started addressing the issue long ago by providing financial aid to help young farmers to start up. Over time, the aid increased and packages of measures were set to reinforce the aid and to promote investments, innovations, and networks at the farm level. While the literature focuses on analyzing the effectiveness of the start-up aid in fostering new entries, this paper assumes an original perspective as it seeks to assess whether this aid has actually promoted innovations and networks in the beneficiary farms. The analysis relies on sample data collected in 2021 in Italy and Poland via interviews of 500 farmers under 40 who had entered the sector both with and without the aid. A probit model estimates whether the beneficiaries have a higher probability to innovate and network. Then, the contribution of the aid to the intensity of the adoption of innovations and networks is estimated via an Average Treatment Effect on the Treated model (ATT). Results suggest that the start-up aid increased the adoption of innovations and networks. The ATT indicates that this positive effect holds even after correcting for self-selection bias. By adopting an original perspective, our analysis suggests that the start-up aid for young farmers goes beyond rejuvenating agriculture by fostering innovation at the farm level and by promoting networking, thus enhancing agricultural change. However, farmer behaviors in the two countries are different, suggesting quite complex patterns for the impact of this measure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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19 pages, 798 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Economy and Industrial Structure Transformation: Mechanisms for High-Quality Development in China’s Agriculture and Rural Areas

by Jingruo Liu, Xiuju Feng, Jianxu Liu and Woraphon Yamaka

Agriculture 2024, 14(10), 1769; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14101769 - 7 Oct 2024

Viewed by 2229

Abstract

The digital economy’s transformative impact on agriculture presents both opportunities and challenges for China’s pursuit of high-quality agricultural and rural development. This study investigates the complex interplay between digital economy, industrial structure transformation, and agricultural advancement using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces spanning 2012–2021. We employed mediation analysis and threshold effect models to uncover several key findings: (1) The digital economy influences high-quality agricultural and rural development through the dual-mediating mechanisms of industrial structure intensification and upgrading in China. (2) These mediating effects exhibit heterogeneous patterns: while industrial intensification positively channels the digital economy’s impact, industrial upgrading shows an initial negative indirect effect, suggesting potential short-term disruptions. (3) The relationship between digital economy and agricultural development is nonlinear, characterized by significant threshold effects. The digital economy’s positive impact becomes more pronounced as industrial structure surpasses certain sophistication and advancement thresholds. Our findings reveal the nuanced dynamics of digital-driven agricultural transformation, highlighting the need for targeted policies that leverage industrial-structure changes while mitigating potential adverse effects. This research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of how digitalization can be harnessed to promote sustainable and high-quality agricultural and rural development in China, with implications for other developing economies navigating similar transitions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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20 pages, 4776 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Farmers’ Adoption of Agricultural Nature-Based Solutions in Northeast China: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Approach

by Minglong Zhang, Yanfang Huang, Yunzheng Zhang, Fengying Nie and Xiangping Jia

Agriculture 2024, 14(9), 1650; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14091650 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1332

Abstract

The academic field has limited studies on implementing nature-based solutions (NbSs) in Chinese agriculture, especially regarding households’ and farmers’ attitudes toward the acceptance of agricultural NbS technologies. Based on this, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the factors behind farmers’ agricultural practices of NbS adoption in Northeast China. Accordingly, this paper constructs an extended theoretical framework of planned behavior (TPB) and empirically tests it using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on data from 298 farmers in Inner Mongolia. It was found that incorporating institutional trust (IT) into TPB improves the prediction of Chinese farmers’ intention to de-farm behavior. Unlike previous studies, this study identified two indirect pathways influencing farmers’ intention to adopt agricultural NbS technologies: from institutional trust through attitude to intention, and from institutional trust through perceived behavioral control to intention. The findings broaden the research perspective in this area, provide empirical evidence for the application of NbSs in agricultural practices in China and other developing countries, and demonstrate in practice that NbS has been promoted as an essential tool to maximize nature’s ability to provide ecosystem services and create direct economic benefits for farmers through increased yields and reduced costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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17 pages, 782 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Growth, Green Development and Climate Change Perceptions: Evidence from a Greek Region

by Christos Karelakis, Zacharias Papanikolaou, Christina Keramopoulou and George Theodossiou

Agriculture 2024, 14(8), 1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081233 - 26 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1616

Abstract

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the planet confronts today and is predicted to continue to face in the future. It is one of the greatest threats to humanity, seriously affecting human health, the natural environment, and security. This research aims to investigate the factors related to the perception of Greek citizens regarding climate change and green development and the obstacles that exist in Greece in the transition to enhanced green growth. For this reason, four cases related to communication and education, energy, actions to protect the environment, and each one’s responsibility were investigated. Data were collected through a survey (structured questionnaire) of 745 respondents in the regional unit of the Greek city of Larissa with an overall response rate of 69% and analyzed through a combination of factor and path analysis. The results show that communication, actions related to environmental protection, and energy-saving actions are the ones that have significant associations with the goal of green development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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18 pages, 311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Environmental Public Goods of the Organic Farming System: A Lithuanian Case Study

by Anastasija Novikova, Renata Zemaitiene, Renata Marks-Bielska and Stanisław Bielski

Agriculture 2024, 14(3), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14030362 - 23 Feb 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1785

Abstract

Organic farming is a farming system that combines environmental farming practices, a high degree of biodiversity, and the protection of natural resources. All these environmental services are used in society as public goods, contributing to societal welfare. Understanding the opinions of residents on these environmental public goods is essential because they are both consumers and financial contributors to the common agricultural policy. Therefore, it is imperative to further existing scientific knowledge in the field of consumer behaviour. Using Lithuania as a case study, the present study focuses on analysing societal opinion and willingness to pay (WTP) with respect to the environmental public goods (reflected in three components: the reduction in water, soil, and air pollution) of organic farming. This study uses the contingent valuation (CV) method to obtain the WTP for public goods. The median WTP was calculated for multiple environmental public goods from organic agriculture, excluding the protest zero. This study revealed that the residents of Lithuania understood the contribution of organic farming in creating environmental public goods and were concerned about environmental issues. It was crucial for them to have a clean environment with, for example, better drinking water quality, lower air pollution and soil erosion. The application of the CV method showed a median WTP of EUR 24.58 annually per family for environmental public goods. The preference towards environmental public goods differs depending on the socioeconomic characteristics and knowledge about organic farming. These findings provide quantitative information regarding the demand for the environmental effects of organic farming, which could be useful for policy-makers. Such research could also prove useful in setting the future direction of the common agricultural policy. The example of Lithuania was used to present a universal research problem that concerns European countries, especially those in the European Union. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

22 pages, 709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Assessment of the Spatial Diversification of Agriculture in the Conditions of the Circular Economy in European Union Countries

by Renata Matysik-Pejas, Małgorzata Bogusz, Kamila Daniek, Monika Szafrańska, Łukasz Satoła, Andrzej Krasnodębski and Paweł Dziekański

Agriculture 2023, 13(12), 2235; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13122235 - 3 Dec 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1652

Abstract

The level of agricultural development in European Union countries is characterized by great diversity. This is due to differences in natural conditions, the type of agricultural production, agrarian fragmentation, and the level of economic development. The concept of a circular economy is the latest vision of changing the current economic systems, the assumptions of which constitute an alternative to the linear model of resource use. The implementation of the principles of a circular economy aims to create a system that will contribute to the implementation of sustainable development. This could be a strategy to support agriculture in the absence of agricultural land and water resources. This research aimed to identify and assess the spatial diversification of agricultural production-economic conditions and their links with the circular economy at the level of EU countries. The basis for grouping countries was synthetic measures obtained in the areas of agriculture and the circular economy. The analyses were performed for 2012 and 2020. The obtained results indicate the existence of significant spatial dependencies in the development of agriculture and the circular economy. Countries with a higher level of agricultural development were also higher in the ranking of the advancement of the implementation of the circular economy concept. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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13 pages, 1748 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climatic Damage Cause Variations of Agricultural Insurance Loss for the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States

by Erich Seamon, Paul E. Gessler, John T. Abatzoglou, Philip W. Mote and Stephen S. Lee

Agriculture 2023, 13(12), 2214; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13122214 - 29 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1879

Abstract

Agricultural crop insurance is an important component for mitigating farm risk, particularly given the potential for unexpected climatic events. Using a 2.8 million nationwide insurance claim dataset from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), this research study examines spatiotemporal variations of over 31,000 agricultural insurance loss claims across the 24-county region of the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) portion of the United States from 2001 to 2022. Wheat is the dominant insurance loss crop for the region, accounting for over USD 2.8 billion in indemnities, with over USD 1.5 billion resulting in claims due to drought (across the 22 year time period). While fruit production generates considerably lesser insurance losses (USD 400 million) as a primary result of freeze, frost, and hail, overall revenue ranks number one for the region, with USD 2 billion in sales, across the same time range. Principal components analysis of crop insurance claims showed distinct spatial and temporal differentiation in wheat and apples insurance losses using the range of damage causes as factor loadings. The first two factor loadings for wheat accounts for approximately 50 percent of total variance for the region, while a separate analysis of apples accounts for over 60 percent of total variance. These distinct orthogonal differences in losses by year and commodity in relationship to damage causes suggest that insurance loss analysis may serve as an effective barometer in gauging climatic influences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in the Fields of Agricultural Economics, Policies and/or Rural Management)

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