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The poor generational renewal has been identified as a key issue for the EU policy that undermines the restructuring of the agricultural sector and the revitalisation of rural areas. The start-up aid for young farmers is one of the main EU-driven policy measures that try to mitigate this trend, by facilitating the initial investment of young newcomers in agriculture. At the same time, innovative crops with appealing characteristics are proposed as promising alternatives with high socioeconomic and low environmental impacts. Recently, a draft new call of the start-up aid for young farmers measure has been set under public consultation in Greece, which significantly alters the requirements and the level of support of the beneficiaries, compared to the previous one. The aim of this study is to explore the consequences of this change to the desirability to invest in the organic aloe vera crop, one of the leading innovating crops in Greece. In this study, taking into consideration the embedded risk and uncertainty, we utilise a stochastic version of the Net Present Value (NPV) analysis, a common discount cash flows method to detect the desirability of an investment. Results indicate that the potential alteration of the start-up aid for young farmers deteriorates the desirability of this investment and thus prevents farmers from its adoption. The analysis provides useful insights by highlighting risk factors and the possible impacts of policy measures on the desirability of innovative crops; thus, it can be useful both for investors and policymakers.
Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; Irene Tzouramani. The Role of the Start-Up Aid for Young Farmers in the Adoption of Innovative Agricultural Activities: The Case of Aloe Vera. Agriculture 2021, 11, 349 .
AMA StyleAngelos Liontakis, Alexandra Sintori, Irene Tzouramani. The Role of the Start-Up Aid for Young Farmers in the Adoption of Innovative Agricultural Activities: The Case of Aloe Vera. Agriculture. 2021; 11 (4):349.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAngelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; Irene Tzouramani. 2021. "The Role of the Start-Up Aid for Young Farmers in the Adoption of Innovative Agricultural Activities: The Case of Aloe Vera." Agriculture 11, no. 4: 349.
Small-scale fisheries account for 94% of the Greek fishing fleet. The sector consists mainly of family-owned vessels and highly depends on family labor. While the role of women as crew members is of particular interest, there is little evidence of their actual employment status, labor situation, and contribution in the fishing activity. This paper focuses on women in small-scale fisheries in order to investigate their role in the sector and reveal their contribution to fishing enterprises. In addition, it implements a comparative analysis to investigate the differences in various socio-economic indicators in small-scale vessels with and without female crew members. The results indicate that the presence of women has a positive outcome on several social and economic indicators that reflect the wealth of both fishing households and employees. In terms of employment, several differences in the structural characteristics appeared regarding the onshore employment, the share of unpaid labor, and the total hours worked. The majority of female crew members can be characterized as “fisherwomen,” since fishing is their main occupation. Further in-depth research to investigate the family relations among crew members and how they affect the fishing enterprise can supplement the existing research.
Angelos Liontakis; Irene Tzouramani; Stamatis Mantziaris; Alexandra Sintori. Unravelling the Role of Gender in Fisheries’ Socio-Economic Performance: The Case of Greek Small-Scale Fisheries. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5304 .
AMA StyleAngelos Liontakis, Irene Tzouramani, Stamatis Mantziaris, Alexandra Sintori. Unravelling the Role of Gender in Fisheries’ Socio-Economic Performance: The Case of Greek Small-Scale Fisheries. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (13):5304.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAngelos Liontakis; Irene Tzouramani; Stamatis Mantziaris; Alexandra Sintori. 2020. "Unravelling the Role of Gender in Fisheries’ Socio-Economic Performance: The Case of Greek Small-Scale Fisheries." Sustainability 12, no. 13: 5304.
Dairy goat farming is an important agricultural activity in the Mediterranean region. In Greece the activity offers occupation and income to thousands of families mainly located in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas of the country where it utilizes low productivity pastures and shrub lands. Furthermore, goats are more resilient to climate changes compared to other species, and are often characterized as ideal for keeping in drought areas. However, there is still limited evidence on total greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted from goat farms and their mitigation potential. In this context, this study aims to estimate GHG emissions of goat farms in Greece and explore their abatement options using an economic optimization model. Three case studies are explored i.e., an extensive, a semi-intensive and an intensive goat farm that correspond to the main goat production systems identified in Greece. The analysis aims to assess total GHGs as well as the impact of abatement on the structures, gross margins and labor inputs of the farms under investigation. The issue of the marginal abatement cost is also addressed. The results indicate that the extensive farm causes higher emissions/kg of milk produced (4.08 kg CO2-eq) compared to the semi-intensive and intensive farms (2.04 kg and 1.82 kg of CO2-equivelants, respectively). The results also emphasize the higher marginal abatement cost of the intensive farm. In all farm types, abatement is achieved primarily through the reduction of the livestock capital and secondarily by other appropriate farming practices, like substitution of purchased feed with homegrown feed.
Alexandra Sintori; Irene Tzouramani; Angelos Liontakis. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Dairy Goat Farming Systems: Abatement Potential and Cost. Animals 2019, 9, 945 .
AMA StyleAlexandra Sintori, Irene Tzouramani, Angelos Liontakis. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Dairy Goat Farming Systems: Abatement Potential and Cost. Animals. 2019; 9 (11):945.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlexandra Sintori; Irene Tzouramani; Angelos Liontakis. 2019. "Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Dairy Goat Farming Systems: Abatement Potential and Cost." Animals 9, no. 11: 945.
One of the main ecological challenges that agricultural and especially livestock production systems face is the adoption of management practices that encourage the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while maintaining their production level. According to the relevant literature, the potential for GHG reduction lies mainly in greater efficiency in meat and dairy production, which suggests that the ecological modernization of livestock farms follows the efficiency/substitution pathway. This study aims to investigate the above assumption and explore the link between the technical efficiency (TE) and environmental efficiency (EE) of livestock farms using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The analysis focuses on dairy sheep farming, since the activity is important for the Greek rural economy while at the same time responsible for half of the country’s agricultural methane emissions. Results indicate that the correlation between technical and environmental efficiency of sheep farms is significant. Environmental efficiency is affected by farm size, specialization and production orientation. Feeding practices, like the ratio of concentrates to forage, also appear to have a positive effect on environmental efficiency. On the other hand, experienced farmers tend to have lower environmental efficiency, which may indicate their reluctance to adopt modern farming practices.
Alexandra Sintori; Angelos Liontakis; Irene Tzouramani. Assessing the Environmental Efficiency of Greek Dairy Sheep Farms: GHG Emissions and Mitigation Potential. Agriculture 2019, 9, 28 .
AMA StyleAlexandra Sintori, Angelos Liontakis, Irene Tzouramani. Assessing the Environmental Efficiency of Greek Dairy Sheep Farms: GHG Emissions and Mitigation Potential. Agriculture. 2019; 9 (2):28.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlexandra Sintori; Angelos Liontakis; Irene Tzouramani. 2019. "Assessing the Environmental Efficiency of Greek Dairy Sheep Farms: GHG Emissions and Mitigation Potential." Agriculture 9, no. 2: 28.
This study explores the technical and scale efficiency of two types of Greek fishing vessels, small-scale vessels and bottom trawlers, using a bias-corrected input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis model. Moreover, the associations between efficiency scores and vessel’s and skipper’s characteristics are also explored. The results indicate that small-scale vessels achieve a very low average technical efficiency score (0.42) but a much higher scale efficiency score (0.81). Conversely, bottom trawlers achieve lower scale but higher technical efficiency scores (0.68 and 0.73, respectively). One important finding of this study is that the technical efficiency of small-scale vessels, in contrast to trawlers, is positively associated with the experience of the skipper. In a looser context, it can be said that small-scale fisheries mainly rely on skill, whereas bottom trawlers rely more on technology. This study concludes that there is space for improvement in efficiency, mainly for small-scale vessels, which could allow the achievement of the same level of output by using reduced inputs.
Dario Pinello; Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; Irene Tzouramani; Konstantinos Polymeros. Assessing the Efficiency of Small-Scale and Bottom Trawler Vessels in Greece. Sustainability 2016, 8, 681 .
AMA StyleDario Pinello, Angelos Liontakis, Alexandra Sintori, Irene Tzouramani, Konstantinos Polymeros. Assessing the Efficiency of Small-Scale and Bottom Trawler Vessels in Greece. Sustainability. 2016; 8 (7):681.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDario Pinello; Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; Irene Tzouramani; Konstantinos Polymeros. 2016. "Assessing the Efficiency of Small-Scale and Bottom Trawler Vessels in Greece." Sustainability 8, no. 7: 681.
Organic farming has experienced a vast increase within the EU. Especially in Greece, the rapid growth of the organic sector, since the early ‘90s, was accompanied by the introduction of various organic crops. Among them, organic fruit crops have been gradually introduced, as farmers have realised the promising growth of the demand for organic fruits. However, organic farmers face significant yield and price risks, which combined with the high initial establishment costs, provoke difficult investment decisions. Rational farmers are willing to adopt organic farming only if the economic outcomes outweigh the associated increased risk and uncertainty. This study employs stochastic efficiency analysis to compare the economic outcomes of organic and conventional cherry production in Northern Greece. It, thus, explores whether the expansion of organic cherry production generates satisfactory economic results for farmers and whether it can be regarded as a promising alternative to conventional production activity. Results reveal that the current Greek policy scheme may endanger investments in organic cherry farming. Further assessment of the impact of varying organic subsidy and discount rate levels on the net present value underlines the detrimental effects of the financial crisis. An enhanced policy framework is required to enable and support climate-smart agriculture.
Irene Tzouramani; Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; George Alexopoulos. Assessing Organic Cherry Farmers’ Strategies under Different Policy Options. Modern Economy 2014, 05, 313 -323.
AMA StyleIrene Tzouramani, Angelos Liontakis, Alexandra Sintori, George Alexopoulos. Assessing Organic Cherry Farmers’ Strategies under Different Policy Options. Modern Economy. 2014; 05 (04):313-323.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIrene Tzouramani; Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; George Alexopoulos. 2014. "Assessing Organic Cherry Farmers’ Strategies under Different Policy Options." Modern Economy 05, no. 04: 313-323.
Organic farming has grown rapidly in the European Union (EU) due to a rising demand for high-quality food, increased environmental concerns and market developments that led to the implementation of an organic policy and the creation of a positive institutional framework. Nevertheless, the production of organic fruit, including cherries, is still limited within the EU, despite high demand. Farmers generally adopt organic farming systems only if the support provided by the existing policy regime outweighs the increased risk and uncertainty. This study explores the effectiveness of current policy measures for the production of organic cherries in Greece using a real options methodology. The results reveal that the economic incentives provided by the existing policy regime contribute to profitability and compensate for the risk and uncertainty that organic cherry farmers face, although further institutional support is still needed.
Irene Tzouramani; Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; George Alexopoulos. Exploring Organic Cherry Investment Opportunities for Greek Farmers. Outlook on Agriculture 2013, 42, 41 -46.
AMA StyleIrene Tzouramani, Angelos Liontakis, Alexandra Sintori, George Alexopoulos. Exploring Organic Cherry Investment Opportunities for Greek Farmers. Outlook on Agriculture. 2013; 42 (1):41-46.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIrene Tzouramani; Angelos Liontakis; Alexandra Sintori; George Alexopoulos. 2013. "Exploring Organic Cherry Investment Opportunities for Greek Farmers." Outlook on Agriculture 42, no. 1: 41-46.
Irene Tzouramani; Alexandra Sintori; Angelos Liontakis; Pavlos Karanikolas; George Alexopoulos. An assessment of the economic performance of organic dairy sheep farming in Greece. Livestock Science 2011, 141, 136 -142.
AMA StyleIrene Tzouramani, Alexandra Sintori, Angelos Liontakis, Pavlos Karanikolas, George Alexopoulos. An assessment of the economic performance of organic dairy sheep farming in Greece. Livestock Science. 2011; 141 (2-3):136-142.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIrene Tzouramani; Alexandra Sintori; Angelos Liontakis; Pavlos Karanikolas; George Alexopoulos. 2011. "An assessment of the economic performance of organic dairy sheep farming in Greece." Livestock Science 141, no. 2-3: 136-142.