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Off‐farm employment in aquaculture: A case study of New England's oyster growers

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  • Avery Cole
  • Xuan Chen

Abstract

Global aquaculture markets have experienced a great deal of recent success. However, growers are still highly susceptible to risks caused by seasonality, interannual variability in earnings, and environmental factors. As a result, we see growers turning to alternative sources of income, and participating in off‐farm labor. We utilize a series of zero‐inflated count models to examine the relationship between an aquaculture grower's off‐farm labor decision and relevant explanatory variables including demand‐side potency, which is often omitted in the literature. We also look to identify and analyze the importance of professional social networks among growers as a stabilizing mechanism and a way to mitigate risk to growers. This study expands upon an economic model that has traditionally been used for analyzing off‐farm labor choices within an agricultural context and applies it to an increasingly important industry, aquaculture. Les marchés mondiaux de l'aquaculture ont récemment connu un grand succès. Cependant, les producteurs sont toujours très sensibles aux risques causés par la saisonnalité, la variabilité interannuelle des revenus et les facteurs environnementaux. En conséquence, nous voyons les producteurs se tourner vers d'autres sources de revenus et le travail hors ferme. Nous utilisons une série de modèles de régression à inflation de zéro pour examiner la relation entre la décision de travail hors ferme d'un aquaculteur et les variables explicatives pertinentes, y compris la qualité de la demande, qui est souvent omise dans la littérature. Nous cherchons également à identifier et analyser l'importance des réseaux sociaux professionnels parmi les producteurs en tant que mécanisme de stabilisation ainsi que moyen d'atténuer les risques pour les producteurs. Cette étude développe un modèle économique qui a traditionnellement été utilisé pour analyser les choix de main‐d'œuvre hors ferme dans un contexte agricole et l'applique à une industrie de plus en plus importante, l'aquaculture.

Suggested Citation

  • Avery Cole & Xuan Chen, 2021. "Off‐farm employment in aquaculture: A case study of New England's oyster growers," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 69(3), pages 369-382, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:canjag:v:69:y:2021:i:3:p:369-382
    DOI: 10.1111/cjag.12264
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    References listed on IDEAS

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