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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 44850

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Dr. Dario Siggia

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Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: agricultural economics; agricultural policy; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ashutosh Kolte

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Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Interests: corporate finance; economics; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable agriculture is growing day by day with the aim to produce food and energy in a sustainable way for the growing human population and to support inclusive growth and development. By 2050, the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion, 34 percent higher than today. Food production must increase in line with the sustainability goals. Agricultural policy could play a strategic role, but it is important to outline that sustainable agriculture is influenced by a host of social, economic, and environmental factors.

This Special Issue is aimed at soliciting original contributions from academics and researchers providing theoretical insights and/or empirical analysis, which address socioeconomic and/or environmental dimensions of sustainable agriculture, sustainable economics, and agricultural policy that can provide valuable lessons for the future. We encourage submissions from allied areas, business, economic sustainability, entrepreneurship and business sustainability, green marketing, industry and sustainability, etc. The editors especially encourage submissions applying cross-disciplinary approaches and the use of a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies in social sciences. The scope of submission includes original research and review articles that address the issues raised above.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in World.

Dr. Ashutosh Kolte
Dr. Dario Siggia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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. Sustainability 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 2400 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 policy
Agricultural economics
Sustainable economics and policy
Food security
Business and entrepreneurship
Finance and economics
Sustainable transport
Green marketing
Climate change and sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture and environment interactions
Sustainable agriculture and energy interactions
Technological progress and sustainable agriculture
Development, growth, and sustainable agriculture
Policies, institutions, and sustainable agriculture
Poverty, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture
Culture, society, and sustainable agriculture

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of Agricultural Diversification in Improving Resilience to Climate Change: An Empirical Analysis with Gaussian Paradigm

by Adiqa Kausar Kiani, Asif Sardar, Wasim Ullah Khan, Yigang He, Abdulbaki Bilgic, Yasemin Kuslu and Muhammad Asif Zahoor Raja

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9539; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179539 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3340

Abstract

Agricultural diversification efforts towards sustainable agriculture generates environmental and economic benefits. Climate change and agricultural production are characterized by a complex cause-effect relationship. In the present study, the primary dataset is collected through an interview-based survey from 410 farmers in 3 districts located in different agro-ecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. Detailed analysis is conducted by employing the Gaussian treatment effects approach. Results of the study show that the farmers who adopted agricultural diversification to mitigate the impact of climate change were less and insignificantly benefited e.g., on an average of RS 95,260 (US $635) per annum whereas non-adopted farmers lost their farm income on an average of RS 115,750 (US $772) per annum if they had practiced the agricultural diversification. Moreover, determinants of agricultural diversification such as demographic and institutional indicators were significant and larger effects to adopt as compared to social indicators. This study suggests that policies should be designed in the regional context particularly related to the improvement in demographic characteristics and institutional factors such as providing subsidies, training, and awareness to the farmers, particularly to those who practice agricultural diversification. These measures will help to raise the farmers’ adaptive capacity for the adoption of agricultural diversification, and it will enable them to generate tangible benefits by increasing income through adopting sustainable agricultural livelihood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

16 pages, 579 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Willingness to Pay for Crowdfunding Local Agricultural Climate Solutions

by Per Espen Stoknes, Olav B. Soldal, Sissel Hansen, Ingvar Kvande and Sylvia Weddegjerde Skjelderup

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9227; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169227 - 17 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5139

Abstract

The recent rise in climate concern among citizens worldwide is coinciding with a rising interest in agricultural climate solutions. The future scaling-up of these solutions, however, requires more knowledge about the mitigation potential, costs and financing options, including crowdfunding (CF). Our objective is to explore the driving factors behind the public’s willingness to pay for crowdfunded climate mitigation projects at the farm level. In this study, four mitigation options from the perspective of farmers were identified: solar panels on the barn roof, biogas from animal manure, drag hoses for improved manure dispersal, and the addition of biochar to soils. The study investigates the optimal characteristics of crowdfunding campaigns to finance such mitigation measures. The most influential factors on the respondents’ WTP is neither climate concern nor proximity, but instead the knowledge regarding CF, combined with how comprehensible and salient the suggested measure is. The main implications are that future projects that aim to achieve broad participation in CF campaigns need to communicate well, to improve both public knowledge of the funding mechanism (CF) itself and the comprehensibility and salience of the agricultural measure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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20 pages, 997 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Change Policies and the Carbon Tax Effect on Meat and Dairy Industries in Brazil

by Augusto Mussi Alvim and Eduardo Rodrigues Sanguinet

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9026; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169026 - 12 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4002

Abstract

This study analyzes the impacts of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the meat and dairy industries. To achieve this goal, the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database was used in a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) setting, which allows for the inclusion of carbon taxes and the definition of four alternative environmental policies scenarios using both Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Global Temperature Potential (GTP) as GHG emissions measures. All scenarios analyze the main effects of carbon-based tax economic instruments on the industry and national production, trade, and emissions, comparing the results for different measures of GHG, GWP, and GTP from the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation System (SEEG) sectoral Brazilian emissions database. In contrast with other industries, relatively lower taxes on the meat and dairy industries seem to be the most adequate in terms of cost distribution in the Brazilian economic structure when only the GWP measure is considered. Urban activities and less-methane-intensive industries benefit from climate change policies designed using GWP-based rather than GTP-based carbon taxes. The article also highlights the importance of a gradual introduction of carbon taxes, allowing the most vulnerable industries a transition moment to adopt clean technologies and/or redirect economic activity to less-GHG-emitting segments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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18 pages, 1297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Peat Land Oil Palm Farmers’ Direct and Indirect Benefits from Good Agriculture Practices

by Abd Hair Awang, Iskandar Zainuddin Rela, Azlan Abas, Mohamad Arfan Johari, Mohammad Effendi Marzuki, Mohd Noor Ramdan Mohd Faudzi and Adri Musa

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7843; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147843 - 14 Jul 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4103

Abstract

With economically unsustainable metroxylon sagu (sago palms) found in peat lands, small scale farmers are gradually converting their land to oil palm cultivation. Good agriculture practices (GAP) were inculcated to peat land farmers to ensure that the environmental ecosystem is conserved and oil palm productivity is enhanced, along with the farmer’s well-being. The present study examined the effect of GAP on farm performance and the perceived economic well-being of the peat land oil palm farmers. We interviewed randomly selected farmers with assistance from a locally trained native enumerator to complete the survey questionnaire. We conducted partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to incorporate direct and indirect benefits on farmers’ economic well-being to estimate the significance of GAP. The empirical results show that GAP have direct positive effects on farm performance. Such practices lead to significant positive impacts on the economic well-being of peat land oil palm farmers. This solid evidence makes it much easier for small-scale farmers to convert from conventional farming to environmentally friendly farming, and ensures safe and healthy oil palm cultivation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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15 pages, 1562 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Economic and Financial Sustainability Dependency on Subsidies: The Case of Goat Farms in Greece

by Maria Tsiouni, Stamatis Aggelopoulos, Alexandra Pavloudi and Dario Siggia

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7441; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137441 - 2 Jul 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4308

Abstract

Goat farming is an important production sector not only for Greece, but also for other Mediterranean countries, as it contributes to the family economy in rural areas. Despite the importance of goat farming, this sector has experienced economic difficulties due to poor management and increased production costs. The aim of our research is to determine goat farm profitability by surveying goat farmers for revenues, variable costs, and fixed costs of their farms. With the use of Principal Component Analysis, all economic factors contributing to overall production costs are examined, as well as their specific impacts on cost formulation. According to our results, goat farms in Greece are not profitable and they cannot survive without government subsidies. Farm economics and agricultural policies could be leveraged to improve community and environmental outcomes in order for farms to be economically and financially sustainable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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11 pages, 447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is the Greening Instrument a Valid Precedent for the New Green Architecture of the CAP? The Case of Spain

by Carmelo Díaz-Poblete, María Carmen García-Cortijo and Juan Sebastián Castillo-Valero

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5705; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105705 - 19 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2714

Abstract

The Common Agricultural Policy 2014–2020, set up in 2015 and extended until 31 December 2022, introduced a payment instrument called Greening. The aim of Greening was to encourage agricultural practices that are beneficial for the environment while also contributing to economic and territorial dynamism. The purpose of this article is to study the effect that Greening has had in Spain. We consider five difference-in-difference models, one for each of the variables proposed: ecological focus areas, permanent grasslands over utilised agricultural area, CO₂ emissions stemming from agricultural land use changes and the presence of woody crops, agricultural income, and affiliates of the special agricultural regime. The data used come from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, the Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security, and Migrations, and the Spanish Emissions Inventory System. For the diff-in diff estimations, we use Spain’s regions as control and treatment units from 2011 to 2018, the aim being to provide observations ex ante Greening (2011–2014) and ex post (2015–2018). The results show that Greening had a limited impact, questioning its efficiency for meeting its goal, and that it is not a sound precedent for building the new green architecture of the CAP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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27 pages, 1143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Farmers’ Participation in Operational Groups to Foster Innovation in the Agricultural Sector: An Italian Case Study

by Natalia Molina, Gianluca Brunori, Elena Favilli, Stefano Grando and Patrizia Proietti

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5605; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105605 - 17 May 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4754

Abstract

Recently, the interpretation of the innovation process has changed significantly. Its linear model has evolved to a dynamic and ongoing participatory approach where cooperation, oriented to generate co-ownership, is the essence to co-produce knowledge among multiple actors. Farmers’ direct participation in the process is widely accepted since they contribute with first-hand information, perceptions, field experiences, and feedback that are essential for the design and implementation of a project. The European Union encourages their participation through the European Rural Development Policy that promotes competitiveness and sustainability in the agriculture and forestry sectors, building bridges among heterogeneous stakeholders that complement each other to find an innovative solution to a given problem. Thus far, despite participation importance, few details have been provided about producer’s contributions within the process. Consequently, this paper attempts to explore the modus operandi of an Italian Operational Group to get insights about the farmers’ participation and identify the factors that could influence and foster the interactive innovation process. The results, based on a participatory observation, key informants’ interviews, and theory reflection, revealed that farmers are active players in the design and implementation phases. Yet, their participation is not constant throughout the entire process. Empower them to find solutions with different players is a complex challenge as it requires motivation, commitment, trust, and an open communication among different actors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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14 pages, 302 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Total Factor Productivity of Major Crops in Southern Ethiopia: A Dis-Aggregated Analysis of the Growth Components

by Merihun Fikru Meja, Bamlaku Alamirew Alemu and Maru Shete

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3388; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063388 - 18 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2676

Abstract

(1) Background: Even though agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy, the improvements made regarding crop productivity appeared insufficient and had slow progress. Several studies suggest possible ways to identify the challenges in the productivity of the crop sub-sector. Nevertheless, there are gaps in the empirical literature in both knowledge and methods. The current study intends to identify the factors that affect growth in the productivity of teff, maize, barley, wheat, and sorghum crops. (2) Methods: Cobb-Douglass stochastic production function is estimated using a panel data set of the Living Standard Measurement Survey. To address the objectives of the study, a parametric estimation with a time-varying decay model with deterministic and stochastic components was adopted. (3) Results and Discussion: The effect of inputs on aggregate output was positive and significant at the 1% significance level, implying the presence of economies of scale. Variation in the inefficiency term explained 46.4% of the total variance in the composed error term. The average productivity of major crops was 6.19 per year. This study implied that technical change in the production of major crops increased by 22% with better use of available technology. (4) Conclusions and Policy Implication: The findings pinpoint that farmers should focus on technical change and intensification of improved agricultural inputs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

16 pages, 493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of China’s Circular Agriculture Performance and Analysis of the Driving Factors

by Biao Li, Yunting Feng, Xiqiang Xia and Mengjie Feng

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041643 - 3 Feb 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3369

Abstract

Along with industry upgrading and urbanization, the agricultural industry in China has been experiencing a stage of rapid development, on the bright side. On the other side, ecological environment deterioration and resource scarcity have become prevalent. Called by the current situation, circular agriculture arises as a direction for the industry to achieve sustainable development. This study develops an evaluation indicator system for circular agriculture using an entropy method, and evaluates factors that could drive the Chinese agricultural industry to achieve better performance. We employ the method using provincial data collected from the province of Henan, in which around 10% of the total grain in China is produced. It was found that agricultural technology and water resources per capita are positively related to circular performance in agriculture. In contrast, urbanization and arable land per capita are negatively related to circular performance. This article provides support to the government in policy-making related to the improvement of circular agricultural performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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20 pages, 2487 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Progress of Sustainable Management of Ammonia Emissions from Agriculture in European Union States Including Poland—Variation, Trends, and Economic Conditions

by Anna Murawska and Piotr Prus

Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031035 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3280

Abstract

Ammonia (NH₃) is one of the gases adversely affecting the natural environment. The greatest contributor to emissions of this gas to the atmosphere is agricultural activity. The main objective of the study was to assess the progress of sustainable management of ammonia emissions from agriculture in European Union countries. The specific objectives of the article were the following: to analyse and diagnose the level of ammonia emissions from agriculture, to study the diversity of emissions of this gas between countries, to analyse trends in the years 2010–2017 and, above all, to assess the relationship between the level of ammonia emissions from agriculture and the economic conditions of EU countries. The theoretical part of the article describes the causes and effects of, as well as preventive actions against, ammonia emissions from agriculture, whereas the empirical part analyses the problems, trends, variations, and the impact of economic conditions on emissions of this gas in 2010–2017. To evaluate the range of problems discussed, indicators describing ammonia emission levels Y_01A and Y_01B, as well as indicators characterising economic conditions X₀₁, X₀₂, and X₀₃ have been employed. During the study, the following indicators were analysed: ammonia emissions from agriculture in kilograms per hectare (Y_01A), ammonia emissions from agriculture—percentage of total emissions (Y_01B), government appropriations or outlays on research and development in agriculture in EUR per capita (X₀₁), agricultural factor income in EUR per annual work unit (AWU) (X₀₂), and real GDP in EUR per capita (X₀₃). The source for the empirical data was information from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). The analysis covered 28 states of the European Union. In the article, among others, the rate of change indices, coefficients of variation (V_s), measures of distance (D) and range (R), coefficients of asymmetry (A) and kurtosis (K) were calculated, and correlation and regression analysis were performed. The share of agriculture in total ammonia emissions in European Union countries is very high and averages as high as 92%. Most of the countries maintain an upward tendency; a disturbing fact, considering such high ammonia emissions from agriculture. Based on the present analysis, it has also been confirmed that countries with the relatively highest levels of economy and agricultural research and development funding in fact emit more and increasingly more ammonia from agriculture. To avoid the intensification of the adverse effects of this phenomenon, all EU Member States should take effective, efficient, and sustained action to reduce ammonia emission levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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19 pages, 494 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Farmers’ Perceptions of the Organic Control and Certification Process in Tyrol, Austria

by Carolin Leitner and Christian R. Vogl

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9160; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219160 - 3 Nov 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4284

Abstract

Organic farming is a demand-led—rather than policy-driven—development. The introduction of regulations, controls and certification was intended to protect consumers from fraud, and to protect producers from unfair competition. The farmers’ willingness to participate in organic schemes is a prerequisite, which depends on their attitudes to the certification process. By means of three focus groups—conducted in April 2019, in Kematen, in the district of Innsbruck-Land—this study attempted to identify Tyrolean farmers’ perceptions of organic certification, as well as the influential factors, with the aim of highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the certification system. Overall, the farmers perceived a great variety of differing standards. In particular, compliance with the regulations on animal husbandry and labelling requirements were seen to be hard to achieve. The farmers felt that the retailers were forcing them to comply with additional requirements, and that they were not receiving adequate support from their control body or their organic farming associations. They stated that the inspectors’ attitudes were often crucial to the control’s outcome, and were negative about the regulations or inspectors that did not reflect their underlying values. More scope should therefore be given for a cultural adaption of the inspection process, and there should be information symmetry between all of the stakeholders within organic certification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Economics and Policy)

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