IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v15y2025i15p1650-d1714429.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Structural Analysis of Farming Systems in Western Macedonia: A Cluster-Based Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Theodoros Siogkas

    (Department of Agriculture, University of Western Macedonia, Terma Kondopoulou, 53100 Florina, Greece)

  • Katerina Melfou

    (Department of Agriculture, University of Western Macedonia, Terma Kondopoulou, 53100 Florina, Greece)

  • Georgia Koutouzidou

    (Department of Agriculture, University of Western Macedonia, Terma Kondopoulou, 53100 Florina, Greece)

  • Efstratios Loizou

    (Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Western Macedonia, 50100 Kozani, Greece)

  • Athanasios Ragkos

    (Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Hellenic Agriculture Organization “DIMITRA”, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece)

Abstract

This paper examines the farming systems and operational structures in the Region of Western Macedonia (RWM), Greece and constructs a typology of farms based on structural, operational, and socio-economic characteristics. Agriculture remains a vital pillar of the regional economy, particularly in the context of RWM’s ongoing transition to a post-lignite development model. Using farm-level data from the 2018 Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified four latent dimensions of farm heterogeneity—income and productivity, asset base, land size, and labour structure. Hierarchical and K-means cluster analysis revealed three distinct farm types: (1) medium-sized, high-efficiency farms with moderate reliance on subsidies (30% of the sample); (2) small-scale, family farms with modest productivity and limited capitalisation (48%); and (3) large, asset-rich farms exhibiting structural inefficiencies and lower output per hectare (22%). These findings highlight structural vulnerabilities, particularly the predominance of undercapitalised smallholdings, and provide a data-driven foundation for Thdesigning differentiated policies that support farm resilience, generational renewal, and sustainable rural development.

Suggested Citation

  • Theodoros Siogkas & Katerina Melfou & Georgia Koutouzidou & Efstratios Loizou & Athanasios Ragkos, 2025. "Structural Analysis of Farming Systems in Western Macedonia: A Cluster-Based Approach," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:15:p:1650-:d:1714429
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1650/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1650/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philip Kostov & John Lingard, 2004. "Subsistence Agriculture in Transition Economies: Its Roles and Determinants," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 565-579, November.
    2. Kabirigi, Michel & Sekabira, Haruna & Sun, Zhanli & Hermans, Frans, 2023. "The use of mobile phones and the heterogeneity of banana farmers in Rwanda," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 25(6), pages 5315-5335.
    3. Philip Kostov & John Lingard, 2004. "Institutional foundations of subsistence agriculture in transition economies," Others 0409010, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Jean-Paul Chavas, 2008. "On the economics of agricultural production ," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 52(4), pages 365-380, December.
    5. Alvarez, Antonio & Arias, Carlos, 2004. "Technical efficiency and farm size: a conditional analysis," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 241-250, May.
    6. Vassilios Dotas & Dimitrios Gourdouvelis & Lampros Hatzizisis & Ioannis Kaimakamis & Ioannis Mitsopoulos & George Symeon, 2021. "Typology, Structural Characterization and Sustainability of Integrated Broiler Farming System in Epirus, Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Margherita Masi & Yari Vecchio & Gregorio Pauselli & Jorgelina Di Pasquale & Felice Adinolfi, 2021. "A Typological Classification for Assessing Farm Sustainability in the Italian Bovine Dairy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Gwen DeBoe & Koen Deconinck & Ben Henderson & Jussi Lankoski, 2020. "Reforming Agricultural Policies Will Help to Improve Environmental Performance," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 19(1), pages 30-35, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Latruffe, Laure & Davidova, Sophia & Desjeux, Yann, 2007. "Market Imperfections and Subsistence Farming: The Case of Kosovo," 100th Seminar, June 21-23, 2007, Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro 162351, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Fredriksson, Lena & Rizov, Marian & Davidova, Sophia & Bailey, Alastair, 2021. "Smallholder Farms in Bulgaria and Their Contributions to Food and Social Security," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 13(14).
    3. Laure Latruffe & Yann Desjeux, 2014. "Perpetuation of subsistence farming in Kosovo: the role of farm integration in input markets," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 137-148, March.
    4. Sophia Davidova & Lena Fredriksson & Alastair Bailey, 2009. "Subsistence and semi‐subsistence farming in selected EU new member states," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(s1), pages 733-744, November.
    5. Weatherspoon Dave D. & Miller Steven R. & Niyitanga Fidele & Weatherspoon Lorraine J. & Oehmke James F., 2021. "Rwanda’s Commercialization of Smallholder Agriculture: Implications for Rural Food Production and Household Food Choices," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 19(1), pages 51-62, May.
    6. Aragie, Emerta A. & McDonald, Scott, 2023. "The economic consequences of price support policies in semi-subsistence economies," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 45(6), pages 1148-1166.
    7. Budiman Achmad & Sanudin & Mohamad Siarudin & Ary Widiyanto & Dian Diniyati & Aris Sudomo & Aditya Hani & Eva Fauziyah & Endah Suhaendah & Tri Sulistyati Widyaningsih & Wuri Handayani & Dewi Maharani , 2022. "Traditional Subsistence Farming of Smallholder Agroforestry Systems in Indonesia: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-33, July.
    8. Koblianska, Inna & Seheda, Serhii & Khaietska, Olha & Kalachevska, Larysa & Klochko, Tetiana, . "Determinants of potato producer prices in the peasant-driven market: the Ukrainian case," Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, vol. 8(3).
    9. Daniel Solís & Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta & Ricardo E. Quiroga, 2009. "Technical Efficiency among Peasant Farmers Participating in Natural Resource Management Programmes in Central America," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 202-219, February.
    10. Aragón, Fernando M. & Restuccia, Diego & Rud, Juan Pablo, 2022. "Are small farms really more productive than large farms?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    11. Madau, Fabio A., 2015. "Technical and Scale Efficiency in the Italian Citrus Farming: Comparison between SFA and DEA Approaches," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 16(2), pages 1-13.
    12. Yu Sheng & Shiji Zhao & Katarina Nossal & Dandan Zhang, 2015. "Productivity and farm size in Australian agriculture: reinvestigating the returns to scale," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 59(1), pages 16-38, January.
    13. Ruben Bibas & C. Cassen & Renaud Crassous & Céline Guivarch & Meriem Hamdi-Cherif & Jean Charles Hourcade & Florian Leblanc & Aurélie Méjean & Eoin Ó Broin & Julie Rozenberg & Olivier Sassi & Adrien V, 2022. "IMpact Assessment of CLIMate policies with IMACLIM-R 1.1. Model documentation version 1.1," Working Papers hal-03702627, HAL.
    14. Mosheim, Roberto & Lovell, C.A. Knox, 2006. "Economic Efficiency, Structure and Scale Economies in the U.S. Dairy Sector," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21440, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    15. Takeshima, Hiroyuki & Hatzenbuehler, Patrick L. & Edeh, Hyacinth O., 2020. "Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    16. Bouali Guesmi & Teresa Serra & Amr Radwan & José María Gil, 2018. "Efficiency of Egyptian organic agriculture: A local maximum likelihood approach," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(2), pages 441-455, March.
    17. Alberto Sturla & Elena Vigan? & Laura Vigan?, 2019. "The Organic Districts in Italy. An Interpretative Hypothesis in the Light of the Common Pool Resources Theory," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 21(2), pages 429-458.
    18. Federico Belotti & Silvio Daidone & Giuseppe Ilardi & Vincenzo Atella, 2013. "Stochastic frontier analysis using Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 13(4), pages 718-758, December.
    19. Sansi Yang & C Richard Shumway, 2018. "Asset fixity under state-contingent production uncertainty," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 45(5), pages 831-856.
    20. repec:zbw:iamodp:92018 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Rūta Savickienė & Virginia Namiotko & Aistė Galnaitytė, 2025. "Evaluating the Technical Efficiency of Dairy Farms Under Technological Heterogeneity: Evidence from Lithuania," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:15:p:1650-:d:1714429. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.