Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Determinants of organically farmed acreage expansion within the European Union

Harmat, Frigyes LU (2021) EKHS22 20211
Department of Economic History
Abstract
Many consider organic farming to be a solution to agriculture’s potential agricultural crises. Accordingly, the European Union’s Organic Action Plan aims to increase the share of organically farmed acreage drastically over the next decade. Research concerning the drivers of organic farming expansion could prove vital, and a wide range of empirical literature explores the topic. However, previous studies employ smaller samples, and their results are very often at odds. Unique in its scope, this thesis synthesizes previous research in Europe-wide aggregate fixed-effects models in search of findings generalizable for the whole continent, focusing on farm structural and farmer demographic characteristics. The analyses span 27 countries and 243... (More)
Many consider organic farming to be a solution to agriculture’s potential agricultural crises. Accordingly, the European Union’s Organic Action Plan aims to increase the share of organically farmed acreage drastically over the next decade. Research concerning the drivers of organic farming expansion could prove vital, and a wide range of empirical literature explores the topic. However, previous studies employ smaller samples, and their results are very often at odds. Unique in its scope, this thesis synthesizes previous research in Europe-wide aggregate fixed-effects models in search of findings generalizable for the whole continent, focusing on farm structural and farmer demographic characteristics. The analyses span 27 countries and 243 regions between 2005 and 2016, addressing both levels of aggregation separately. Our results suggest that the acreage-weighted ratio of female farm managers and the acreage-weighted average level of farm managers’ agricultural training in a given spatial unit are positively associated with organically farmed land area. Average farm size displays a reverse-U shaped relationship with organic acreage, but the unit-increase effect turns negative only in the highest ends of the distribution. Meanwhile, acreage-weighted average farmer age seems to have a U-shaped relationship with the extent of land under organic practice. The results, however, vary in their statistical reliability. The thesis provides a good starting point for future research on the topic; while the results provide interesting implications for the European Union’s ambitious Organic Action Plan. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Harmat, Frigyes LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
An empirical analysis based on aggregate Eurostat data
course
EKHS22 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
organic farming, european union
language
English
id
9053764
date added to LUP
2021-06-24 13:17:18
date last changed
2021-06-24 13:17:18
@misc{9053764,
  abstract     = {{Many consider organic farming to be a solution to agriculture’s potential agricultural crises. Accordingly, the European Union’s Organic Action Plan aims to increase the share of organically farmed acreage drastically over the next decade. Research concerning the drivers of organic farming expansion could prove vital, and a wide range of empirical literature explores the topic. However, previous studies employ smaller samples, and their results are very often at odds. Unique in its scope, this thesis synthesizes previous research in Europe-wide aggregate fixed-effects models in search of findings generalizable for the whole continent, focusing on farm structural and farmer demographic characteristics. The analyses span 27 countries and 243 regions between 2005 and 2016, addressing both levels of aggregation separately. Our results suggest that the acreage-weighted ratio of female farm managers and the acreage-weighted average level of farm managers’ agricultural training in a given spatial unit are positively associated with organically farmed land area. Average farm size displays a reverse-U shaped relationship with organic acreage, but the unit-increase effect turns negative only in the highest ends of the distribution. Meanwhile, acreage-weighted average farmer age seems to have a U-shaped relationship with the extent of land under organic practice. The results, however, vary in their statistical reliability. The thesis provides a good starting point for future research on the topic; while the results provide interesting implications for the European Union’s ambitious Organic Action Plan.}},
  author       = {{Harmat, Frigyes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Determinants of organically farmed acreage expansion within the European Union}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}