IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v96y2020ics0264837719324019.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Capturing the diversity of Mediterranean farming systems prior to their sustainability assessment: The case of Cyprus

Author

Listed:
  • Stylianou, Andreas
  • Sdrali, Despina
  • Apostolopoulos, Constantinos D.

Abstract

Prior to any sustainability assessment and/or any effort to understand or develop the agricultural sector, the acknowledgment of the diversity of farming systems (FSs) is crucial. Typologies are often used for this purpose. The goals of this study were, for the first time, to identify and characterize the divergent FSs that exist in southeastern Cyprus, and analyse the main drivers of variability among FSs. Beyond this empirical exploration, this study explores the suitability of typology delineation for understanding the heterogeneity of FSs prior to their sustainability assessment and for the potential of adoption of sustainable intensification technologies. The multivariate statistical techniques of principal component analysis and cluster analysis were employed on data from a representative sample of 324 farms in the study area. Results proposed six FSs, differentiated by land use, livestock, production pattern, farm, household, labour and economic variables. FS1-FS4 were crop-oriented and FS5-FS6 were livestock-oriented cultivating cereals and fodder crops for on-farm consumption. Only FS1 was profitable without subsidies, which were negatively associated with economic results. This casts doubt on the effectiveness of subsidies in providing the basis for a more profitable agricultural sector. FS3-FS5 households sought off/no-farm income mainly for their survival (i.e. complementary source of income), but not to cross-subsidize the farm. Small crop-oriented farms (FS4) and medium-sized livestock-oriented farms (FS5) had several weaknesses, such as elderly, low-educated managers and low profitability; thus, their viability should be the priority of decision makers. It was also observed a weak complementarity between the main system components (crop, livestock, off/non-farm income), which might negatively affect sustainable intensification. The importance of group membership for farm sustainability was also highlighted. The results of this study can be used for a more focused agricultural policy, tailored to the different constraints and opportunities of FSs, but also to inform public decision makers who are responsible to design and implement agricultural policy in Cyprus, or in other European Mediterranean regions with similar FSs and agro-ecological conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Stylianou, Andreas & Sdrali, Despina & Apostolopoulos, Constantinos D., 2020. "Capturing the diversity of Mediterranean farming systems prior to their sustainability assessment: The case of Cyprus," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:96:y:2020:i:c:s0264837719324019
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104722
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837719324019
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104722?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kostrowicki, Jerzy, 1977. "Agricultural typology concept and method," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 33-45, January.
    2. Elias Giannakis & Sophia Efstratoglou & Artemis Antoniades, 2018. "Off-Farm Employment and Economic Crisis: Evidence from Cyprus," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-11, March.
    3. Landais, E., 1998. "Modelling farm diversity: new approaches to typology building in France," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 505-527, December.
    4. Adamides, George & Stylianou, Andreas & Kosmas, Petros C. & Apostolopoulos, Constantinos D., 2013. "Factors Affecting PC and Internet Usage by the Rural Population of Cyprus," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21.
    5. Latruffe, Laure & Diazabakana, Ambre & Bockstaller, Christian & Desjeux, Yann & Finn, John & Kelly, Edel & Ryan, Mary & Uthes, Sandra, 2016. "Measurement of sustainability in agriculture: a review of indicators," Studies in Agricultural Economics, Research Institute for Agricultural Economics, vol. 118(3), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Iraizoz, Belen & Gorton, Matthew & Davidova, Sophia, 2007. "Segmenting farms for analysing agricultural trajectories: A case study of the Navarra region in Spain," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-3), pages 143-169, March.
    7. Hani, Fritz & Braga, Francesco S. & Stampfli, Andreas & Keller, Thomas & Fischer, Matthew & Porsche, Hans, 2003. "RISE, a Tool for Holistic Sustainability Assessment at the Farm Level," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 6(4), pages 1-13.
    8. J. Bidogeza & P. Berentsen & J. Graaff & A. Oude Lansink, 2009. "A typology of farm households for the Umutara Province in Rwanda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 1(3), pages 321-335, September.
    9. John P. Reganold & Jerry D. Glover & Preston K. Andrews & Herbert R. Hinman, 2001. "Sustainability of three apple production systems," Nature, Nature, vol. 410(6831), pages 926-930, April.
    10. Santiago Lopez-Ridaura & Luis Barba-Escoto & Cristian Reyna & Jon Hellin & Bruno Gerard & Mark Wijk, 2019. "Food security and agriculture in the Western Highlands of Guatemala," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 817-833, August.
    11. Van Passel, Steven & Nevens, Frank & Mathijs, Erik & Van Huylenbroeck, Guido, 2007. "Measuring farm sustainability and explaining differences in sustainable efficiency," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 149-161, April.
    12. Cortez-Arriola, José & Rossing, Walter A.H. & Massiotti, Ricardo D. Améndola & Scholberg, Johannes M.S. & Groot, Jeroen C.J. & Tittonell, Pablo, 2015. "Leverages for on-farm innovation from farm typologies? An illustration for family-based dairy farms in north-west Michoacán, Mexico," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 66-76.
    13. George Vlahos & Pavlos Karanikolas & Alex Koutsouris, 2017. "Integrated farming in Greece: a transition-to-sustainability perspective," International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(1), pages 43-59.
    14. Stéphanie Alvarez & Carl J Timler & Mirja Michalscheck & Wim Paas & Katrien Descheemaeker & Pablo Tittonell & Jens A Andersson & Jeroen C J Groot, 2018. "Capturing farm diversity with hypothesis-based typologies: An innovative methodological framework for farming system typology development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-24, May.
    15. Giannakis, Elias & Bruggeman, Adriana, 2018. "Exploring the labour productivity of agricultural systems across European regions: A multilevel approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 94-106.
    16. Kobrich, C. & Rehman, T. & Khan, M., 2003. "Typification of farming systems for constructing representative farm models: two illustrations of the application of multi-variate analyses in Chile and Pakistan," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 141-157, April.
    17. Gómez-Limón, José A. & Sanchez-Fernandez, Gabriela, 2010. "Empirical evaluation of agricultural sustainability using composite indicators," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1062-1075, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. M. J. Milán & E. González, 2023. "Beef–cattle ranching in the Paraguayan Chaco: typological approach to a livestock frontier," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 5185-5210, June.
    2. Trigo, Ana & Marta-Costa, Ana & Fragoso, Rui, 2023. "Improving sustainability assessment: A context-oriented classification analysis for the wine industry," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    3. Andreas Stylianou & Despina Sdrali & Constantinos D. Apostolopoulos, 2020. "Integrated Sustainability Assessment of Divergent Mediterranean Farming Systems: Cyprus as a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-24, July.
    4. Dimitrios Iakovidis & Yiorgos Gadanakis & Julian Park, 2023. "Farmer and Adviser Perspectives on Business Planning and Control in Mediterranean Agriculture: Evidence from Argolida, Greece," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, February.
    5. Wojciech Sroka & Dariusz Żmija, 2021. "Farming Systems Changes in the Urban Shadow: A Mixed Approach Based on Statistical Analysis and Expert Surveys," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-29, May.
    6. Margherita Masi & Yari Vecchio & Gregorio Pauselli & Jorgelina Di Pasquale & Felice Adinolfi, 2021. "A Typological Classification for Assessing Farm Sustainability in the Italian Bovine Dairy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-14, June.
    7. Guoting Yang & Jing Li & Zhen Liu & Yitao Zhang & Xiangbo Xu & Hong Zhang & Yan Xu, 2022. "Research Trends in Crop–Livestock Systems: A Bibliometric Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-14, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andreas Stylianou & Despina Sdrali & Constantinos D. Apostolopoulos, 2020. "Integrated Sustainability Assessment of Divergent Mediterranean Farming Systems: Cyprus as a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-24, July.
    2. So Pyay Thar & Thiagarajah Ramilan & Robert J. Farquharson & Deli Chen, 2021. "Identifying Potential for Decision Support Tools through Farm Systems Typology Analysis Coupled with Participatory Research: A Case for Smallholder Farmers in Myanmar," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Elizabeth Ahikiriza & Joshua Wesana & Xavier Gellynck & Guido Van Huylenbroeck & Ludwig Lauwers, 2021. "Context Specificity and Time Dependency in Classifying Sub-Saharan Africa Dairy Cattle Farmers for Targeted Extension Farm Advice: The Case of Uganda," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Bisrat Haile Gebrekidan & Thomas Heckelei & Sebastian Rasch, 2020. "Characterizing Farmers and Farming System in Kilombero Valley Floodplain, Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-21, August.
    5. Kong, Rada & Castella, Jean-Christophe, 2021. "Farmers' resource endowment and risk management affect agricultural practices and innovation capacity in the Northwestern uplands of Cambodia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    6. Netshipale, A.J. & Raidimi, E.N. & Mashiloane, M.L. & de Boer, I.J.M. & Oosting, S.J., 2022. "Farming system diversity and its drivers in land reform farms of the Waterberg District, South Africa," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    7. Sulewski, Piotr & Kłoczko-Gajewska, Anna, 2018. "Development of the sustainability index of farms based on surveys and FADN sample," Problems of Agricultural Economics / Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej 276476, Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics - National Research Institute (IAFE-NRI).
    8. Yahui Lv & Chao Zhang & Jiani Ma & Wenju Yun & Lulu Gao & Pengshan Li, 2019. "Sustainability Assessment of Smallholder Farmland Systems: Healthy Farmland System Assessment Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Huber, Robert & Bartkowski, Bartosz & Brown, Calum & El Benni, Nadja & Feil, Jan-Henning & Grohmann, Pascal & Joormann, Ineke & Leonhardt, Heidi & Mitter, Hermine & Müller, Birgit, 2024. "Farm typologies for understanding farm systems and improving agricultural policy," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    10. Upadhaya, Suraj & G. Arbuckle, J. & Schulte, Lisa A., 2023. "Farmer typologies integrating latent and observed characteristics: Insights for soil and water conservation outreach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    11. Ionuț-Alexandru Spânu & Alexandru Ozunu & Dacinia Crina Petrescu & Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag, 2022. "A Comparative View of Agri-Environmental Indicators and Stakeholders’ Assessment of Their Quality," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-23, March.
    12. Luis Javier R. Barron & Aitor Andonegi & Gonzalo Gamboa & Eneko Garmendia & Oihana García & Noelia Aldai & Arantza Aldezabal, 2021. "Sustainability Assessment of Pasture-Based Dairy Sheep Systems: A Multidisciplinary and Multiscale Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-17, April.
    13. Fouillet, Esther & Delière, Laurent & Flori, Albert & Rapidel, Bruno & Merot, Anne, 2023. "Diversity of pesticide use trajectories during agroecological transitions in vineyards: The case of the French DEPHY network," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    14. Upadhaya, Suraj & Arbuckle, J. Gordon & Schulte, Lisa A., 2021. "Developing farmer typologies to inform conservation outreach in agricultural landscapes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    15. Abdallah Alaoui & Lúcia Barão & Carla S. S. Ferreira & Rudi Hessel, 2022. "An Overview of Sustainability Assessment Frameworks in Agriculture," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-26, April.
    16. Emtage, Nicholas & Herbohn, John, 2012. "Assessing rural landholders diversity in the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, Australia in relation to natural resource management programs: A market segmentation approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 107-118.
    17. Pienaar, Louw & Traub, Lulama, 2015. "Understanding the smallholder farmer in South Africa: Towards a sustainable livelihoods classification," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212633, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Fatmir Guri & Ilir Kapaj & Bahri Musabelliu & Maksim Meço & Eneida Topulli & Remzi Keco & Natasha Hodaj & Shpresim Domi & Gentjan Mehmeti & Sergio Gomez y Paloma, 2015. "Characteristics of farming systems in Albania," JRC Research Reports JRC95833, Joint Research Centre.
    19. Vázquez, Ibán & Sineiro, Francisco & García, Ana Isabel, 2014. "Trayectorias de crecimiento de las explotaciones agrarias en la Cornisa Cantábrica," Economia Agraria y Recursos Naturales, Spanish Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 14(02), pages 1-32, December.
    20. Rupak Goswami & Soumitra Chatterjee & Binoy Prasad, 2014. "Farm types and their economic characterization in complex agro-ecosystems for informed extension intervention: study from coastal West Bengal, India," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-24, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:96:y:2020:i:c:s0264837719324019. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.