Sustainability of Farming Enterprise – Governance and Evaluation

Bachev, Hrabrin (2016): Sustainability of Farming Enterprise – Governance and Evaluation.

Abstract

The issue of governance and evaluation of sustainability of farming enterprise like individual and family farms, agro-companies, agro-cooperatives, etc. is among the most discussed among researchers, farmers, investors, politicians, interests groups and public at large. Despite the significant development of the theory and practice in that new area still there is no common understanding on “what is (how to define) sustainability of farming enterprises?”, „what is the difference and relations between farm and agrarian sustainability?“, “which are the critical factors of sustainability of farming enterprises?”, “which are the governing mechanisms and forms for farms sustainability?”, “how to select the most-efficient forms for governing of farms sustainability?”, and “how to evaluate the sustainability level of farming enterprises” in a dynamic world, where hardly there is anything actually “sustainable. This paper tries to give answer to all these questions. First, evolution of the “concept” of sustainability of farming enterprises is initially analyzed and discussed. On that base is suggested adequate definition of farming enterprise’ sustainability as ability of a particular farm to maintain its governance, economic, social and ecological functions in a long term. After that principle mechanisms and modes of governance of sustainability of farming enterprise are specified, including institutional environment, market, private, collective, public and hybrid modes. Following applicable for the contemporary conditions of the development of Bulgarian agriculture framework for assessing the farm sustainability level is suggested. The later includes a system of appropriate principles, criteria, indicators, and reference values, which characterise the governance, economic, ecological and social aspects of farms sustainability as well as approach for their integration and interpretation. Finally, a framework for analysing and assessing the efficiency of the individual components and the entire system of governance for farm enterprise’ sustainability is suggested. Ultimate objective of this study is to discuss and experiment efficiency of suggested framework, and after improving it to suggest it for a wider use in farm and agri-business management, and improvement of policies and modes of public intervention in agrarian sector.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: farming enterprise, sustainability, governance, economic, social, ecological aspects, market, private and public modes of governance
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q12 - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q13 - Agricultural Markets and Marketing ; Cooperatives ; Agribusiness; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q15 - Land Ownership and Tenure ; Land Reform ; Land Use ; Irrigation ; Agriculture and Environment; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services ; Biodiversity Conservation ; Bioeconomics ; Industrial Ecology; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q58 - Government Policy

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