De Roest K., Ferrari P., Knickel K. (2018). Specialisation and economies of scale or diversification and economies of scope? Assessing different agricultural development pathways. Journal of rural studies, 01/04/2018, vol. 59, p. 222-231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.04.013
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.04.013
Titre : | Specialisation and economies of scale or diversification and economies of scope? Assessing different agricultural development pathways (2018) |
Auteurs : | K. De Roest ; P. Ferrari ; K. Knickel |
Type de document : | Article |
Dans : | Journal of rural studies (vol. 59, April 2018) |
Article en page(s) : | p. 222-231 |
Langues : | Anglais |
Langues du résumé : | Anglais |
Catégories : |
Thésaurus IAMM SPECIALISATION ; AGRICULTURE INTENSIVE ; ECONOMIE D'ECHELLE ; RESILIENCE ; DIVERSIFICATION ; DURABILITECatégories principales 06 - AGRICULTURE. FORÊTS. PÊCHES ; 6.4 - Production Agricole. Système de Production |
Résumé : | For decades agricultural development has been led by a modernisation paradigm based on specialisation, intensification and scale enlargement. This model of development model has been supported by means of price support policies and, often, strong central marketing agencies, which had a stabilising effect on prices and significantly reduced market risks for an array of commodities. The economic rationale of this model is based on the pursuit of economies of scale and highly efficient technical production. This model has led farmers to increasing their technical capacity and to neglect activities such as marketing, which was delegated to specialised marketing agencies. In this paper we argue that such specialisation has weakened the economic resilience of farms. Although a high level of specialisation allows farmers to be technically efficient, acquire highly specific production skills and apply the latest production techniques, it also leads specialised farms to be highly dependent on the commodity market(s) in which they operate, increasing their economic vulnerability. As markets have become deregulated, prices of both inputs and produce have become more volatile, often compromising the economic sustainability of these specialised farms. |
Cote : | Réservé lecteur CIHEAM |
URL / DOI : | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.04.013 |