Estimating The Link Between Farm Productivity And Innovation In The Netherlands

Abstract: This report investigates the link between farm innovation and economic performance. The study uses a unique survey dataset maintained by Wageningen Economic Research in the Netherlands. A structural multi-stage model of firm-level innovation is applied. The model contains four steps: first, the decision of the farmer to innovate at all; second the innovation intensity, measured by expenditures on innovation activities; third the output of the innovation process, which is measured by realized product, process, organisational or marketing-related innovation; fourth, productivity changes as a result of innovation. The analysis is performed for two types of farms - dairy and crop farms - and covers the period from 2004 to 2014. A number of factors are found to be decisive for the magnitude and success of farm innovations in the Netherlands. Among them regulations and standards, the level of co-operation with knowledge producing institutions, own product and process-related development activities, farm size, the age of the farm operator as well as confidence in business and sector developments. Based on these and other results, the report derives implications for policies aimed at promoting farm innovation and productivity and sustainability in the agricultural sector

Markets that function well within a stable regulatory and policy environment are key to improving the productivity and sustainability of the food and agriculture sector. This report contains the main findings and policy lessons gained from a series of wide-ranging country reviews on how government policies can improve sectoral productivity and sustainability through their impact on innovation, structural change, natural resource use, and climate change. Improving the policy environment would require rolling back those policies that distort markets the most and retain farmers in uncompetitive and low-income activities, harm the environment, stifle innovation, slow structural and generational change, and weaken resilience.

Humans have long neglected to fully consider the impact of their behaviour on the environment. From excessive consumption of fossil fuels and natural resources to pollution, waste disposal, and, in more recent years, climate change, most people and institutions lack a clear understanding of the environmental consequences of their actions. The new field of behavioural environmental economics seeks to address this by applying the framework of behavioural economics to environmental issues, thereby rationalizing unexplained puzzles and providing a more realistic account of individual behaviour. This book provides a complete and rigorous overview of environmental topics that may be addressed and, in many instances, better understood by integrating a behavioural approach. This volume features state-of-the-art research on this topic by influential scholars in behavioural and environmental economics, focussing on the effects of psychological, social and cognitive factors on the decision-making process. It presents research performed using different methods and data collection mechanisms (e.g. laboratory experiments, field experiments, natural experiments, online surveys) on a variety of environmental topics (e.g. sustainability, natural resources). This book is a comprehensive and innovative tool for researchers and students interested in the behavioural economics of the environment and in the design of policy interventions aimed at reducing the human impact on the environment.

Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in the European Union applies the OECD Productivity, Sustainability and Resilience (PSR) analytical framework along with the latest data from the OECD Agri-Environmental Indicators to benchmark the sustainable productivity performance of the EU’s agricultural sector and to identify the main challenges ahead.

The Dutch food, agriculture and horticulture sector is innovative and export oriented, with high value-added along the food chain and significant world export shares for many products.

The expansion of agricultural production in China has been remarkable, but at the expense of the sustainable use of its natural resources. To counter this, as well as to face problems due to rising labour costs and a rapidly ageing rural population, agricultural production must concentrate on a ...

Australia’s agriculture and food industries are well placed to contribute to the economy’s future growth given the robust prospects of global food demand and the continuing high international competitiveness of these sectors.