Risk governance in agriculture

Bachev, Hrabrin (2008): Risk governance in agriculture.

Abstract

This paper identifies and assesses the efficiency of major modes for risk governance in agriculture on the base of Bulgarian dairy farming. Firstly, the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics is incorporated and a framework for analysis of the governance of natural, market, private, and social (institutional) risks presented. Next, the pace and challenges of the dairy farming development during the post-communist transition and EU integration is outlined. Third, major types of risks faced by the dairy farms are specified, and the dominant market, private, public and hybrid modes of risk governance assessed. Finally, principal forms of risks caused by the dairy farms are identified, and efficiency and impacts of governing structure assessed. Development of Bulgarian dairy farming has been associated with quite specific risk structures facing by and causing from this important sector of agriculture. The huge market and institutional instability and uncertainty, and the high transaction costs, have blocked evolution of effective market and collective modes for risk protection. A great variety of private modes (internal organization, vertical integration, interlinking etc.) has emerged to deal with the significant natural, market, private, and social risks faced by the dairy farms and other affected agents. Nevertheless, diverse risks associated with the dairy farming have not been effectively governed and persist during the transition now. That has been a consequence of ineffective public (Government, international assistance) intervention to correct market and private sector failures in risk governance. The later has had considerable negative impacts on evolution of size, productivity, and sustainability of farms, development of markets, structure of production and consumption, state of environment etc. What is more, certain risks related to the dairy sector have “disappeared” due to the lack of effective risk governance and declining dairy farming. That would lead to further deformation in development of dairy and related sectors unless effective public (regulations, assistance, control etc.) measures are taken to mitigate the existing problems and risks.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: natural, market, private, and institutional risk management; governance; dairy farming; transition; CAP implementation; new institutional economics, Bulgaria
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D2 - Production and Organizations > D23 - Organizational Behavior ; Transaction Costs ; Property Rights; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q10 - General

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