Abstract
Abstract. Enhancing environmental performance is a prospective way for increasing market inclusion, effectiveness and sustainability of small-scale farms around the globe. With a very few exceptions, there are no studies on forms, factors and efficiency of “eco-driven” market inclusion of smallholders in modern supply chains in Bulgaria. This paper presents findings of a first large-scale study on state, driving forces, and efficiency of market inclusion of farms through enhanced eco-management in Bulgaria. First, diverse forms of eco-management in farms with different size, market orientation, product specialization, and location are identified. Second, costs, effects, and efficiency of eco-management are assessed, including the extent the improve eco-performance contributes to increased market inclusion of farms. Third, critical personal, economic, contractual, institutional, etc. factors of managerial choice in the eco-active farms are specified. Forth, perspectives of expansion of this particular mode of market inclusion of Bulgarian smallholdes are estimated. Finaly, directions for improving public policies and business strategies of smallholders in Bulgaria and other countries with similar conditions are suggested.
Keywords. Farm sustainability, Governance, Economic, Social, Ecological aspects, Framework for assessment.
JEL. Q10, Q56, R33.References
Bachev, H. (2010). Governance of Agrarian Sustainability, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Bachev, H. (2011a): Issues and challenges for farm and enterprise diversification and integration of small scale farmers into value chains in EECA, paper presented at FAO Consultation on “Enabling Environment for producer-agribusiness linkages in EECA”, Ankara, 1 December.
Bachev, H. (2011b). Including small-scale dairy farms in a supply chain in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in E. Biénabe, J. Berdegué, L. Peppelenbos & J. Belt (editors), Reconnecting Markets, Innovative Global Practices in Connecting Small Scale Producers with Dynamic Food Markets, Gower Publishing Ltd, Surrey. pp.47-65.
Bachev, H (2013). Management Strategies for Conservation of Natural Resources in Agriculture, Journal of Advanced Research in Law and Economics, 4(1), 4-45.
Bachev, H. (2014). Environmental Management in Agriculture, Mechanisms, Forms and Efficiency, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing.
Bachev, H., Koteva, N., & Mladenova, M. (2014). The Effects of Implementing European Policies in Agricultural Holdings in The Republic of Bulgaria, Economika, 4(1), 90-106.
Bachev, H., & Nanseki, T. (2008). Environmental Management in Bulgarian Agriculture – Risks, Modes, Major Challenges, Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture of Kyushu University, 53(1), 363-373.
Biénabe, E., Berdegué, J., Peppelenbos, L., & Belt, J. (2011). Reconnecting Markets, Innovative Global Practices in Connecting Small Scale Producers with Dynamic Food Markets, Gower Publishing Ltd, Surrey.
Bitzer, V., Wijk, J., Helmsing, B., & Linden, V. (2009). Partnering to facilitate smallholder inclusion in value chains, Paper presented at the EADI Seminar “Promoting sustainable global value chains: the role of governance”, Maastricht School of Management, November 26.
Harris, P., Brownet, A., Barrett, H., & Cadoret, K. (2001). Facilitating the Inclusion of the Resource-Poor in Organic Production and Trade: Opportunities and Constraints Posed by Certification, Contract Number CNTR 00 1301 For Rural Livelihoods Department, Department for International Development, February 2001.
Guidi, D. (2011). Sustainable Agriculture Enterprise: Framing Strategies to Support Smallholder Inclusive Value Chains for Rural Poverty Alleviation, CID Working Paper No. 53, October 2011.
MAF, (2010). Agrarian paper, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Sofia.
Marscheke, M., & Wilkings, A. (2014). Is certification a viable option for small producer fish farmers in the global south? Insights from Vietnam, Marine Policy, 50(A), 197–206. doi. 10.1016/j.marpol.2014.06.010
Murphy, S. (2012). Changing Perspectives: Small-scale farmers, markets and globalization, IIED/Hivos, London/The Hague.
Perez-Aleman, P. (2008). Building Value at the Top and Bottom of the Global Supply Chain: MNC-NGO Partnerships and Sustainability, California Management Review, 51(1), 24-49.
Prato, B., & Longo, R. (2012). Empowerment of poor rural people through initiatives in agriculture and natural resource management, in Poverty reduction and Pro-Poor Growth: the role of empowerment, OECD.
Silva, A., Leite, M., Clemente, F., & Perez, R. (2014). Contract Farming: Inclusion of Small Scale Farmers in the Brazilian Biodiesel Production Chain, Draft Version of a Chapter to be published in the Book: “Contract Farming For Market Access”, FAO/IAAE.
Sharma, V., Kumar, K., & Singh, R. (2009). Determinants of Small-Scale Farmer inclusion in Emerging Modern Agrifood Markets: A Study of the Dairy Industry in India, W.P. No. 2009-02-01, February 2009, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. [Retrieved from]
Taylor, D. (2008): Does One Size Fit All? Small Farms and U.S. Meat Regulations, Environ Health Perspectives. 116(12), A529-A531.
Torero, M. (2011). A framework for Linking Small Farmers to Markets, Paper presented at the IFAD Conference on New Directions for Smallholder Agriculture, 24-25 January, 2011. [Retrieved from].
Vorley B., Ferris, S., Seville, D., & Lundy, M. (2009). Linking worlds: New Business Models for Sustainable Trading Relations between Smallholders and Formalized Markets, New Business Models for Sustainable Trading Relations project, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Rainforest Alliance. Further support from Cordaid, Netherlands, Final Draft version 7, February 4, 2009.
