The role of and the approach to the countryside and the environment has undergone dramatic changes in recent decades as relations between sustainable, multi-functional agriculture and the need for preserving natural resources were realised. On the other hand, to be successful in a commercial...

Ma'ayan is a software package developed by the Israeli extension service. The package was developed under the assumption that extension has a comparative advantage in bridging the gap between farmers' need for innovative farm management practice, managerial information and software to support...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the management behaviours of six top performing sheep and beef farmers from the South Island of New Zealand. Information was obtained through interviews using grounded theory qualitative research methodology. All six farmers were found to be...

In the past agriculture has relied on the application of "end-of-pipe" or preventative solutions to environmental problems brought on by the management and production processes that it has adopted. This has led to outcomes and approaches that are single media and process or facility focused. The...

Ten years of transition processes in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) have changed the ownership structure as well as the structures and legal forms of enterprises in agriculture considerably. The farm structures in Eastern Europe developed under the influence...

The EU provides farmers with incentives to adopt Countryside Stewardship Schemes (CSS) using subsidies in the framework of the agri-environmental regulation of the EU (2078/92), now included in the more general regulation on rural development In this paper, a case study of 36 farmers in the...

Empirical tests are provided to determine the optimal leverage adjustment in transitional economy. Econometric model of agricultural firm capital structure is specified and estimated in order to analyze, how different factors affect agricultural firm's capital structure. Issues in financial...

1984 was a watershed in New Zealand agriculture which led to a flowering of entrepreneurial activity by some New Zealand farmers. A change of government and a national economic crisis lead to a complete and drastic review and subsequent restructuring of the agricultural sector. Farmers were...

In the Netherlands the greenhouse sector is a major user of energy. It accounts for 7% of the total amount of energy used in the Netherlands and for 79% of the total amount of energy used in agriculture. In order to sustain this sector on the long term, it is important that its use of energy is...

The salinisation of farmland in Australia is a major natural resource management problem. Over the next 20 years a further 1.1 million hectares of broadacre farmland is predicted to become salt-affected. This paper firstly explores the spatial ramifications of the spread of salinity in...