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Learning in Organic Farming - An Application on Finnish Dairy Farms

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  • Sipilainen, Timo
  • Oude Lansink, Alfons G.J.M.

Abstract

Organic farming technology may be relatively unknown to farmers at the time when they switch from conventional into organic farming. Therefore, experience gained over time and learning by doing may be important determinants in the efficiency of organic farming. It may also take time to reach the optimal nutrient stock of soil and optimal nutrient supply for arable crops under organic farming. Thus, efficiency of organic farming can either grow or decrease over time depending on the nature of the technology and the learning process. This paper estimates technical efficiency of organic farming and its development over time. We control for possible selection bias and regional heterogeneity when estimating a stochastic frontier distance functions for a sample of conventional and organic dairy farms in Finland. The results suggest that organic dairy farms are less technically efficient than conventional farms. Technical efficiency at first diminishes when the conversion towards organic production starts. After 6 years from the switch, technical efficiency starts to increase again. The estimates signal that the length of the conversion and learning process of organic farming is in average 6-7 years.

Suggested Citation

  • Sipilainen, Timo & Oude Lansink, Alfons G.J.M., 2005. "Learning in Organic Farming - An Application on Finnish Dairy Farms," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24493, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:eaae05:24493
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.24493
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    1. Brenes Muñoz, Thelma & Lakner, Sebastian & Brümmer, Bernhard, 2012. "Economic growth of farms: An empirical analysis on organic farming," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126756, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Serra, Teresa & Chambers, Robert G. & Oude Lansink, Alfons, 2014. "Measuring technical and environmental efficiency in a state-contingent technology," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 236(2), pages 706-717.
    3. González-Flores, Mario & Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Solís, Daniel & Winters, Paul, 2014. "The impact of high value markets on smallholder productivity in the Ecuadorean Sierra: A Stochastic Production Frontier approach correcting for selectivity bias," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 237-247.
    4. Minviel, Jean Joseph & De Witte, Kristof, 2017. "The influence of public subsidies on farm technical efficiency: A robust conditional nonparametric approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 259(3), pages 1112-1120.
    5. Brenes Muñoz, Thelma & Lakner, Sebastian & Brümmer, Bernhard, 2011. "Determinants of Economic Growth in Organic Farming: The Case of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 114270, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Arandia Miura, Amaia & Aldanondo-Ochoa, Ana, 2008. "Social Versus Private Efficiency: A Comparison of Conventional and Organic Farming Systems in Vineyard Production," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 44416, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Neubauer, Florian & Songsermsawas, Tisorn & Kámiche-Zegarra, Joanna & Bravo-Ureta, Boris E., 2022. "Technical efficiency and technological gaps correcting for selectivity bias: Insights from a value chain project in Nepal," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    8. Wollni, Meike & Brümmer, Bernhard, 2012. "Productive efficiency of specialty and conventional coffee farmers in Costa Rica: Accounting for technological heterogeneity and self-selection," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 67-76.
    9. Mugonola, Basil & Vranken, Liesbet & Maertens, Miet & Deckers, Jozef & Taylor, Daniel B & Bonabana-Wabbi, Jackline & Mathijs, Erik, 2013. "Soil and water conservation technologies and technical efficiency in banana production in upper Rwizi micro-catchment, Uganda," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, July.
    10. Rosemarie Bégin & Lota D. Tamini & Maurice Doyon, 2014. "L'effet du travail hors-ferme sur l'efficacité technique des fermes laitières québécoises: un modèle intégrant les biais de sélection sur les observables et inobservables," Cahiers de recherche CREATE 2014-9, CREATE.
    11. Kantelhardt, Jochen & Kirchweger, Stefan, 2015. "Matching Efficiency Results of Organic Farms," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212024, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Sauer, J. & Park, T. & Graversen, J., 2008. "Organic Farming in Denmark – Productivity, Technical Change and Market Exit," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 43, March.
    13. Sipilainen, Timo & Marklund, Per-Olov & Huhtala, Anni, 2008. "Efficiency In Agricultural Production Of Biodiversity: Organic Vs. Conventional Practices," 107th Seminar, January 30-February 1, 2008, Sevilla, Spain 6478, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Tiedemann, Torben & Latacz-Lohmann, Uwe, 2011. "Empirische Analysen zur Produktivitätsentwicklung im ökologischen und konventionellen Landbau," Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development, Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development, vol. 60(2).
    15. Bouali Guesmi & Teresa Serra & Allen Featherstone, 2015. "Technical efficiency of Kansas arable crop farms: a local maximum likelihood approach," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(6), pages 703-713, November.
    16. Lakner, Sebastian, 2009. "Technical efficiency of organic milk-farms in Germany - the role of subsidies and of regional factors," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51301, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Asante, Bright O. & Temoso, Omphile & Addai, Kwabena N. & Villano, Renato A., 2019. "Evaluating productivity gaps in maize production across different agroecological zones in Ghana," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    18. Sauer, Johannes & Park, Tim, 2009. "Organic farming in Scandinavia -- Productivity and market exit," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2243-2254, June.
    19. Kenichi Kashiwagi & Hajime Kamiyama, 2023. "Effect of adoption of organic farming on technical efficiency of olive-growing farms: empirical evidence from West Bank of Palestine," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-28, December.
    20. Huhtala, Anni & Marklund, Per-Olov, 2005. "Environmental Targets and Shadow Prices of Bad Outputs in Organic and Conventional Farming," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24575, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    21. Lakner, Sebastian & Breustedt, Gunnar, 2015. "Efficiency analysis of organic farming systems- a review of methods, topics, results, and conclusions," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212025, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    22. Tiedemann, Torben & Latacz-Lohmann, Uwe, 2011. "Empirische Analysen zur Produktivitätsentwicklung im ökologischen und konventionellen Landbau," German Journal of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department for Agricultural Economics, vol. 60(02), pages 1-18, May.

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