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Increasing organic production is one of the strategic objectives of the Finnish agricultural policy. Despite the positive developments observed during the last decade, reaching the objectives set by the Finnish government remains challenging. The contributions of this study are twofold. Firstly, this study provides new empirical evidence on productive performance of organic crop farming in Finland and explains observed gap between average output of organic and conventional farms. Specifically, we use the most recent available farm-level data and analyze the performance of organic crop farms over the period 2010–2017. Secondly, to estimate the performance gap between the organic and conventional crop farms, we apply one-stage semi-nonparametric regression. This approach alleviates the endogeneity problem of the commonly used two-stage estimation approaches, providing robust estimates without restrictive functional form assumptions. Our results reveal a significant performance gap between organic and conventional farming. However, the difference between productive performance of organic and conventional crop farms has been decreasing over the years. Moreover, a positive trend is revealed in organic production at the end of the study period.
Natalia Kuosmanen; Maria Yli-Heikkilä; Minna Väre; Timo Kuosmanen. Productive performance of organic crop farms in Finland 2010–2017. Organic Agriculture 2021, 1 -14.
AMA StyleNatalia Kuosmanen, Maria Yli-Heikkilä, Minna Väre, Timo Kuosmanen. Productive performance of organic crop farms in Finland 2010–2017. Organic Agriculture. 2021; ():1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatalia Kuosmanen; Maria Yli-Heikkilä; Minna Väre; Timo Kuosmanen. 2021. "Productive performance of organic crop farms in Finland 2010–2017." Organic Agriculture , no. : 1-14.
Natalia Kuosmanen. Estimating stocks and flows of nitrogen: Application of dynamic nutrient balance to European agriculture. Ecological Economics 2014, 108, 68 -78.
AMA StyleNatalia Kuosmanen. Estimating stocks and flows of nitrogen: Application of dynamic nutrient balance to European agriculture. Ecological Economics. 2014; 108 ():68-78.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatalia Kuosmanen. 2014. "Estimating stocks and flows of nitrogen: Application of dynamic nutrient balance to European agriculture." Ecological Economics 108, no. : 68-78.
The development of a chronic, low grade, inflammatory status named "inflammaging" is a major characteristic of ageing, which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases. Inflammaging is both local and systemic, and a variety of organs and systems contribute inflammatory stimuli that accumulate lifelong. The NU-AGE rationale is that a one year Mediterranean whole diet (considered by UNESCO a heritage of humanity), newly designed to meet the nutritional needs of the elderly, will reduce inflammaging in fully characterized subjects aged 65-79 years of age, and will have systemic beneficial effects on health status (physical and cognitive). Before and after the dietary intervention a comprehensive set of analyses, including omics (transcriptomics, epigenetics, metabolomics and metagenomics) will be performed to identify the underpinning molecular mechanisms. NU-AGE will set up a comprehensive database as a tool for a systems biology approach to inflammaging and nutrition. NU-AGE is highly interdisciplinary, includes leading research centres in Europe on nutrition and ageing, and is complemented by EU multinational food industries and SMEs, interested in the production of functional and enriched/advanced traditional food tailored for the elderly market, and European Federations targeting policy makers and major stakeholders, from consumers to EU Food & Drink Industries
Aurelia Santoro; Elisa Pini; Maria Scurti; Giustina Palmas; Agnes Berendsen; Anna Brzozowska; Barbara Pietruszka; Anna Szczecinska; Noël Cano; Nathalie Meunier; Lisette de Groot; Edith Feskens; Susan Fairweather-Tait; Stefano Salvioli; Miriam Capri; Patrizia Brigidi; Claudio Franceschi; Cristina Fabbri; Claudia Bertarelli; Massimo Izzi; Mario Mazzocchi; Jean-Michel Chardigny; Béatrice Morio; Daniele Rossi; Maurizio Notarfonso; Paul W. O’Toole; Kevin Cashman; Simon Carding; Claudio Nicoletti; Dirk Jacobs; Maria Xipsiti; Laura Fernandez; Josephine Wills; Xavier Irz; Natalia Kuosmanen; Efstathios S. Gonos; Konstantinos Voutetakis; Michael Salmon; Olivier Toussaint; Bruce W. Traill; Giuseppe Nocella; Barbara Caracciolo; Weili Xu; Mikko Ikonen; Tuula Tuure; Robert Brummer; Fawzi Kadi; Sylvie Breton; Marie Triomphe; Guido Magario; Filippo Villani; Annibale Pancrazio; Brigitte Teufner; Josef Stocker; Francisco Javier Echevarría; Jose Ramón Iglesias; František Smrž; Lucie Krejcirova; Efthimia Koytsomitropoulou; Konstantinos Georgakidis; Rezan Yornuk; Cihan Ucar; Ben Van Ommen; Jildau Bouwman; Sebastiano Collino; Clara Jankovics; Adrienn Losó; Willem de Vos; Susana Fuentes; Eric Commelin. Combating inflammaging through a Mediterranean whole diet approach: The NU-AGE project's conceptual framework and design. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 2014, 136-137, 3 -13.
AMA StyleAurelia Santoro, Elisa Pini, Maria Scurti, Giustina Palmas, Agnes Berendsen, Anna Brzozowska, Barbara Pietruszka, Anna Szczecinska, Noël Cano, Nathalie Meunier, Lisette de Groot, Edith Feskens, Susan Fairweather-Tait, Stefano Salvioli, Miriam Capri, Patrizia Brigidi, Claudio Franceschi, Cristina Fabbri, Claudia Bertarelli, Massimo Izzi, Mario Mazzocchi, Jean-Michel Chardigny, Béatrice Morio, Daniele Rossi, Maurizio Notarfonso, Paul W. O’Toole, Kevin Cashman, Simon Carding, Claudio Nicoletti, Dirk Jacobs, Maria Xipsiti, Laura Fernandez, Josephine Wills, Xavier Irz, Natalia Kuosmanen, Efstathios S. Gonos, Konstantinos Voutetakis, Michael Salmon, Olivier Toussaint, Bruce W. Traill, Giuseppe Nocella, Barbara Caracciolo, Weili Xu, Mikko Ikonen, Tuula Tuure, Robert Brummer, Fawzi Kadi, Sylvie Breton, Marie Triomphe, Guido Magario, Filippo Villani, Annibale Pancrazio, Brigitte Teufner, Josef Stocker, Francisco Javier Echevarría, Jose Ramón Iglesias, František Smrž, Lucie Krejcirova, Efthimia Koytsomitropoulou, Konstantinos Georgakidis, Rezan Yornuk, Cihan Ucar, Ben Van Ommen, Jildau Bouwman, Sebastiano Collino, Clara Jankovics, Adrienn Losó, Willem de Vos, Susana Fuentes, Eric Commelin. Combating inflammaging through a Mediterranean whole diet approach: The NU-AGE project's conceptual framework and design. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 2014; 136-137 ():3-13.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAurelia Santoro; Elisa Pini; Maria Scurti; Giustina Palmas; Agnes Berendsen; Anna Brzozowska; Barbara Pietruszka; Anna Szczecinska; Noël Cano; Nathalie Meunier; Lisette de Groot; Edith Feskens; Susan Fairweather-Tait; Stefano Salvioli; Miriam Capri; Patrizia Brigidi; Claudio Franceschi; Cristina Fabbri; Claudia Bertarelli; Massimo Izzi; Mario Mazzocchi; Jean-Michel Chardigny; Béatrice Morio; Daniele Rossi; Maurizio Notarfonso; Paul W. O’Toole; Kevin Cashman; Simon Carding; Claudio Nicoletti; Dirk Jacobs; Maria Xipsiti; Laura Fernandez; Josephine Wills; Xavier Irz; Natalia Kuosmanen; Efstathios S. Gonos; Konstantinos Voutetakis; Michael Salmon; Olivier Toussaint; Bruce W. Traill; Giuseppe Nocella; Barbara Caracciolo; Weili Xu; Mikko Ikonen; Tuula Tuure; Robert Brummer; Fawzi Kadi; Sylvie Breton; Marie Triomphe; Guido Magario; Filippo Villani; Annibale Pancrazio; Brigitte Teufner; Josef Stocker; Francisco Javier Echevarría; Jose Ramón Iglesias; František Smrž; Lucie Krejcirova; Efthimia Koytsomitropoulou; Konstantinos Georgakidis; Rezan Yornuk; Cihan Ucar; Ben Van Ommen; Jildau Bouwman; Sebastiano Collino; Clara Jankovics; Adrienn Losó; Willem de Vos; Susana Fuentes; Eric Commelin. 2014. "Combating inflammaging through a Mediterranean whole diet approach: The NU-AGE project's conceptual framework and design." Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 136-137, no. : 3-13.
To explore the competitiveness of the Finnish dairy chain, we analysed its productivity performance relative to that of other Baltic countries: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and the three Baltic states. We used partial productivity indicators and indices of total factor productivity (TFP) to investigate productivity growth and productivity levels in both dairy farming and dairy manufacturing, using data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network as well as national industrial statistics. At farm level, there are enormous differences in the level of labour productivity across the eight countries: a dairy farmer in Denmark produces 13 times more milk than one in Latvia or Lithuania. Labour productivity in Finland is also significantly lower than in the other old EU countries – not only Denmark, the clear leader, but also Germany and Sweden. Further, there is evidence that Estonia is catching up with Finland in terms of labour productivity. A decomposition analysis then shows that the cross-country differences in labour productivity on farms are driven primarily by differences in labour requirements per cow, while differences in milk yields account for a much smaller share of the difference. Thus, the key to high labour productivity in dairy is the farm structure and the adoption of mechanical innovations, while differences in adoption of biological innovations (e.g., genetic improvement, feeds) are relatively less important. In a second step, a growth accounting exercise indicates that growth in farm-level production in the four older EU members has occurred through different channels, but that TFP growth rates have been roughly comparable from 1995 to 2010. Thus, the competitive position of Finnish dairy farms relative to those in Sweden, Germany and Denmark has not changed greatly over the last two decades. More positively, we find that in recent years (i.e., since 2004), TFP on Finnish farms has grown much faster than on German and Swedish farms. Altogether, Finnish farms appear in the process of raising their productivity to the level achieved by German and Swedish farms, while Danish farms are probably out of reach. Extending the comparison to include the new EU members reveals that dairy farms in those countries are lagging behind Finnish ones in terms of productivity and are not catching up. Although Estonian farms, which are on average relatively large, have recorded impressive increases in yields and labour productivity, this has been achieved more by substitutions of other production factors for labour than real efficiency gains. The processing level of the Finnish dairy supply chain appears more competitive when benchmarked against the processing sectors of the old EU members, although TFP growth has been slow in absolute terms. However, the productivity of dairy manufacturing in Poland and Lithuania is increasing rapidly and converging towards the levels observed in the older EU countries. Overall, the evolution documented in the...
Xavier Irz; Natalia Kuosmanen. Productivity of Dairy Supply Chains: A Comparative Analysis Across the Countries of the Baltic Sea Region. Suomen Maataloustieteellisen Seuran Tiedote 2014, 1 -7.
AMA StyleXavier Irz, Natalia Kuosmanen. Productivity of Dairy Supply Chains: A Comparative Analysis Across the Countries of the Baltic Sea Region. Suomen Maataloustieteellisen Seuran Tiedote. 2014; (30):1-7.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXavier Irz; Natalia Kuosmanen. 2014. "Productivity of Dairy Supply Chains: A Comparative Analysis Across the Countries of the Baltic Sea Region." Suomen Maataloustieteellisen Seuran Tiedote , no. 30: 1-7.
Natalia Kuosmanen; Timo Kuosmanen. Modeling Cumulative Effects of Nutrient Surpluses in Agriculture: A Dynamic Approach to Material Balance Accounting. Ecological Economics 2013, 90, 159 -167.
AMA StyleNatalia Kuosmanen, Timo Kuosmanen. Modeling Cumulative Effects of Nutrient Surpluses in Agriculture: A Dynamic Approach to Material Balance Accounting. Ecological Economics. 2013; 90 ():159-167.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatalia Kuosmanen; Timo Kuosmanen. 2013. "Modeling Cumulative Effects of Nutrient Surpluses in Agriculture: A Dynamic Approach to Material Balance Accounting." Ecological Economics 90, no. : 159-167.
ObjectiveTo investigate the sociodemographic determinants of diet quality of the elderly in four EU countries.DesignCross-sectional study. For each country, a regression was performed of a multidimensional index of dietary qualityv. sociodemographic variables.SettingIn Finland, Finnish Household Budget Survey (1998 and 2006); in Sweden, SNAC-K (2001–2004); in the UK, Expenditure & Food Survey (2006–07); in Italy, Multi-purpose Survey of Daily Life (2009).SubjectsOne- and two-person households of over-50s (Finland,n2994; UK,n4749); over-50 s living alone or in two-person households (Italy,n7564); over-60 s (Sweden,n2023).ResultsDiet quality among the EU elderly is both low on average and heterogeneous across individuals. The regression models explained a small but significant part of the observed heterogeneity in diet quality. Resource availability was associated with diet quality either negatively (Finland and UK) or in a non-linear or non-statistically significant manner (Italy and Sweden), as was the preference for food parameter. Education, not living alone and female gender were characteristics positively associated with diet quality with consistency across the four countries, unlike socio-professional status, age and seasonality. Regional differences within countries persisted even after controlling for the other sociodemographic variables.ConclusionsPoor dietary choices among the EU elderly were not caused by insufficient resources and informational measures could be successful in promoting healthy eating for healthy ageing. On the other hand, food habits appeared largely set in the latter part of life, with age and retirement having little influence on the healthiness of dietary choices.
Xavier Irz; Laura Fratiglioni; Natalia Kuosmanen; Mario Mazzocchi; Lucia Modugno; Giuseppe Nocella; Behnaz Shakersain; W Bruce Traill; Weili Xu; Giacomo Zanello. Sociodemographic determinants of diet quality of the EU elderly: a comparative analysis in four countries. Public Health Nutrition 2013, 17, 1177 -1189.
AMA StyleXavier Irz, Laura Fratiglioni, Natalia Kuosmanen, Mario Mazzocchi, Lucia Modugno, Giuseppe Nocella, Behnaz Shakersain, W Bruce Traill, Weili Xu, Giacomo Zanello. Sociodemographic determinants of diet quality of the EU elderly: a comparative analysis in four countries. Public Health Nutrition. 2013; 17 (5):1177-1189.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXavier Irz; Laura Fratiglioni; Natalia Kuosmanen; Mario Mazzocchi; Lucia Modugno; Giuseppe Nocella; Behnaz Shakersain; W Bruce Traill; Weili Xu; Giacomo Zanello. 2013. "Sociodemographic determinants of diet quality of the EU elderly: a comparative analysis in four countries." Public Health Nutrition 17, no. 5: 1177-1189.
This study presents a systematic method for aggregating firm level sustainable value indicators to sector, region or industry levels. The proposed method applies the generalized sustainable value that is based on frontier production functions. The method is illustrated by an empirical application to the Finnish crop and dairy sectors, where the benchmark technology is estimated by data envelopment analysis. Our efficiency assessment shows that the representative crop farm achieves only about a half of its potential output. Efficiency of the representative dairy farm is somewhat higher.
Natalia Kuosmanen; Timo Kuosmanen; Timo Sipiläinen. Consistent Aggregation of Generalized Sustainable Values from the Firm Level to Sectoral, Regional or Industry Levels. Sustainability 2013, 5, 1568 -1576.
AMA StyleNatalia Kuosmanen, Timo Kuosmanen, Timo Sipiläinen. Consistent Aggregation of Generalized Sustainable Values from the Firm Level to Sectoral, Regional or Industry Levels. Sustainability. 2013; 5 (4):1568-1576.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatalia Kuosmanen; Timo Kuosmanen; Timo Sipiläinen. 2013. "Consistent Aggregation of Generalized Sustainable Values from the Firm Level to Sectoral, Regional or Industry Levels." Sustainability 5, no. 4: 1568-1576.
Sustainability is a complex multidimensional concept that entails economic, environmental, and social aspects. The sustainable value (SV) method developed by F. Figge and T. Hahn [Ecol. Econ. 48(2004) 173–187] is one of the most promising attempts to measure sustainability performance of firms. SV measures corporate contributions to sustainability by valuing resource use based on the opportunity cost, which must be estimated. This paper critically examines Figge and Hahn's estimator for opportunity cost, and shows that the proposed estimator rests on a number of strong, unrealistic assumptions. Evidence from Monte Carlo simulations conducted by authors shows that the proposed estimator performs very poorly even under ideal conditions. Having identified shortcomings in the SV method, we review some econometric approaches with a proven statistical foundation, which might be usefully applied in the present context.
Timo Kuosmanen; Natalia Kuosmanen. How not to measure sustainable value (and how one might). Ecological Economics 2009, 69, 235 -243.
AMA StyleTimo Kuosmanen, Natalia Kuosmanen. How not to measure sustainable value (and how one might). Ecological Economics. 2009; 69 (2):235-243.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTimo Kuosmanen; Natalia Kuosmanen. 2009. "How not to measure sustainable value (and how one might)." Ecological Economics 69, no. 2: 235-243.
Sustainability is a multidimensional concept that entails economic, environmental, and social aspects. The sustainable value (SV) method is one of the most promising attempts to quantify sustainability performance of firms. SV compares performance of a firm to a benchmark, which must be estimated in one way or another. This paper examines alternative parametric and nonparametric methods for estimating the benchmark technology from empirical data. Reviewed methods are applied to an empirical data of 332 Finnish dairy farms. The application reveals four interesting conclusions. First, the greater flexibility of the nonparametric methods is evident from the better empirical fit. Second, negative skewness of the regression residuals of both parametric OLS and nonparametric CNLS speaks against the average-practice benchmark technology in this application. Third, high positive correlations across a wide spectrum of methods suggest that the findings are relatively robust. Forth, the stochastic decomposition of the disturbance term to filter out the noise component from the inefficiency term yields more realistic efficiency estimates and performance targets.;
T. Kuosmanen; N. Kuosmanen. Role of benchmark technology in sustainable value analysis An application to Finnish dairy farms. Agricultural and Food Science 2009, 18, 302 -316.
AMA StyleT. Kuosmanen, N. Kuosmanen. Role of benchmark technology in sustainable value analysis An application to Finnish dairy farms. Agricultural and Food Science. 2009; 18 (3-4):302-316.
Chicago/Turabian StyleT. Kuosmanen; N. Kuosmanen. 2009. "Role of benchmark technology in sustainable value analysis An application to Finnish dairy farms." Agricultural and Food Science 18, no. 3-4: 302-316.