Abstract
This paper presents an empirical study of the role of agricultural cooperatives in sustaining regional levels of crop biodiversity in southern Italy, a mega-diversity spot and centre of diversity for durum wheat. Institutional structures, such as agricultural cooperatives, can influence aggregate levels of crop biodiversity through food processing and marketing functions. Crop varieties differ in qualitative characteristics. These qualitative differences can create a farmer demand for differentiated seed types, derived from processor and consumer demand for differentiated products. The diversity of crop varieties can affect the productivity of a cropping system. These hypotheses are tested using a two-stage estimation approach with a Cobb-Douglas production function and panel data analysis. Findings suggest that the density of cooperatives in a region is associated with higher levels of wheat diversity, and that wheat diversity is positively correlated with medium run productivity.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Working Paper - Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 2005 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Global and Planetary Change
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Aerospace Engineering
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences