Worldwide, the demand for organic food products has expanded rapidly in the past decade, stimulated by consumer perceptions that organic products are safer, cleaner and more ethical than conventional products. The demand for organic products is estimated to be growing at a rate of 15-20 per cent...

Data from a national survey of food shoppers are analyzed by probit and ordered probit models that incorporate elements of Lancaster's product attribute model and Weinstein's precaution adoption process. The models are used to investigate the characteristics of organic and non-organic food...

An econometric model is estimated to simulate the impact of introducing bovine somatotropin (BST) on the California dairy industry. Forecasts of 1991-94 milk production and prices without BST are compared to those with BST under the 1990 Farm Bill. The effects are evaluated under a range in...

A simultaneous equation generalized probit model is estimated to determine factors affecting technology adoption by California dairy farmers. Since productivity and technology choice are jointly determined, a single-equation approach to determine whether productivity affects technology adoption...

The relative efficiency levels of 283 rural households from three regions in eastern Paraguay are measured using a nonparametric approach. Technical, allocative, and scale efficiency measures are calculated both at national and regional levels, and factors that may affect the efficiency levels...

A focus group study using four groups of food shoppers provides insights into consumers’ knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding organic foods. Two focus groups consisted of shoppers who regularly bought organic foods and two focus groups of shoppers who predominantly purchased...

The growth in organic and local foods consumption has been examined using two different approaches to identify characteristics and motivations of food shoppers: market segmentation and economic models using multivariate analysis. The former approach, based on Means-end Chain theory, examines how...

The determinants of investment, input use, and productivity are investigated under customary tenure in peri-urban areas of the Gambia. A structural model is specified to investigate the role of tenure security on farm investments and input use and thereby on yield. Testing of the structural form...