Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Miroslav Grznár Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Management, Faculty of Business Management, University of Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Ľuboslav Szabo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Management, Faculty of Business Management, University of Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Title: Disparities in the utilisation of production factors in the agriculture of Slovakia and of the European Union Abstract: The paper deals with the place of Slovak agriculture in the European Union and with the implementation of the strategy of the competitiveness growth of Slovak agrarian producers. The paper compares the disparities in the utilisation of production factors with the selected EU countries, identifies the causes of unfavourable position of Slovakia's agriculture and also describes some impacts of crisis and disparities in utilising production factors in businesses operating under production conditions. Keywords: competitiveness, production factors, cost management, benchmarking Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 49-55 Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Year: 2012 DOI: 10.17221/96/2011-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/96/2011-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201202-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:58:y:2012:i:2:id:96-2011-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ahmed M. Alabdulkader Author-Workplace-Name: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Life Sciences and Environment Sector, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: Ahmed I. Al-Amoud Author-Workplace-Name: King Saud University, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Author-Name: Fawzi S. Awad Author-Workplace-Name: King Saud University, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Title: Optimization of the cropping pattern in Saudi Arabia using a mathematical programming sector model Abstract: A mathematical sector model has been formulated to optimize the cropping pattern in Saudi Arabia aiming at maximizing the net annual return of the agricultural sector in Saudi Arabia and ensuring the efficient allocation of the scarce water resources and arable land among the competing crops. The results showed the potential for Saudi Arabia to optimize its cropping pattern and to generate an estimated net return equivalent to about 2.42 billion US$ per year. The optimized cropping pattern in Saudi Arabia has been coupled with about 53% saving in the water use and about 48% reduction in the arable land use compared to the base-year cropping pattern. Comparable weights was given to different crop groups by allocating about 48.4%, 35.4%, 13.1%, and 3.2% to grow cereals, fruits, forages, and vegetables, respectively. These findings were in line with the national strategy to rationalize the cultivation of water-intensive crops in favour of highly water-efficient crops. Keywords: maximum net return, efficient water allocation, LINGO optimizer modelling program Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 56-60 Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Year: 2012 DOI: 10.17221/8/2011-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/8/2011-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201202-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:58:y:2012:i:2:id:8-2011-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lucyna Błażejczyk-Majka Author-Workplace-Name: Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poznan, Poland Author-Name: Radosław Kala Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland Author-Name: Krzysztof Maciejewski Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Product Ecology, Poznan University of Economics, Poznan, Title: Productivity and efficiency of large and small field crop farms and mixed farms of the old and new EU regions Abstract: The main aim of the paper is to consider the question whether a higher specialization and a bigger economic size class of farms determine a higher technical efficiency at the same scale for the farms from the new and old countries of the EU. This study is based on the data contained in the Farm Accounting Data Network and covers the first four years following the extension of the European Union in 2004. The adopted units comprised average farms representing 80 regions belonging to eleven countries of the EU-15 and four new EU member states. The estimation of technical efficiency was conducted using the data envelopment analysis, separately for each of the two types of farms taking into account their economic size. The main findings indicate that the highest efficiency is achieved by the biggest farms, but those from the regions belonging to the new EU members at the same time had a low efficiency of scale, while those belonging to the countries of the EU-15 were operating at a scale close to the optimal. Moreover, it is confirmed that a longer period of farming under relatively stable conditions promotes a higher efficiency independently of the type of farm production. On the other hand, contrary to the relatively common opinion that a higher specialization promotes a higher efficiency, it was found that field crop farms in average are less efficient than mixed farms, although the difference between efficiencies decreases with an increase of their economic size. Keywords: technical efficiency, scale efficiency, data envelopment analysis, agriculture in the EU Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 61-71 Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Year: 2012 DOI: 10.17221/48/2011-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/48/2011-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201202-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:58:y:2012:i:2:id:48-2011-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Hana Štiková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Project costs planning in the conditions of uncertainty Abstract: The fuzzy approach to the project network analysis of the project planning and control is commonly oriented on the fuzzy critical path setting and the project duration monitoring. In the article, this approach is improved by the addition of the project costs perspective to the standard time aspect. The relations for the fuzzy quantity of the total project costs and for its membership function are derived. The example demonstrates the application of the theoretical relations and shows how the enhanced fuzzy approach can be used when different project variants are to be compared. The example also reveals how the fuzzy approach with the project costs monitoring brings new information for the project planning and management and for the risk management. Keywords: project planning and management, fuzzy methods, simulations of uncertainty, costs planning, project costs, project network analysis, critical path, risk management, support for decisions, project variants Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 72-84 Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Year: 2012 DOI: 10.17221/7/2011-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/7/2011-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201202-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:58:y:2012:i:2:id:7-2011-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Surender Mor Author-Workplace-Name: Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, India Author-Name: Supran Sharma Author-Workplace-Name: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, Jammu, India Title: Technical efficiency and supply chain practices in dairying: The case of India Abstract: The presented paper investigates the technical efficiency of small dairy farmers in India using the stochastic production frontier function approach. The study reveals that building the supply chain can increase the efficiency of dairy farmers, as the milk producers who are part of a cooperative supply chain experienced a higher technical efficiency as compared to those who do not follow the modern supply chain practices. The milk producers in the supply chain are found better crisis managers as their inefficiency is the least attributed to their own decisions. The possession of the crossbred livestock, schooling of the manager and the institutional finance have been found affecting the efficiency of the dairy farmers positively and significantly. The study recommends the expansion in the supply chain network of the cooperative milk societies for enhancing the efficiency and profitability of the dairy sector along with the provision of more crossbred livestock and an easy availability of finance. Keywords: technical efficiency, cooperative milk supply chain, stochastic frontier Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 85-91 Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Year: 2012 DOI: 10.17221/11/2011-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/11/2011-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201202-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:58:y:2012:i:2:id:11-2011-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Zuzana Chrastinová Author-Workplace-Name: Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Viera Burianová Author-Workplace-Name: Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Title: Economic efficiency of Slovak agriculture and its commodity sectors Abstract: The article brings out the findings about economic efficiency of agriculture and its commodity sectors after the accession of Slovakia into the EU. The adoption of the CAP had a positive impact on the growth of the off-market and total income but at the same time, its production efficiency decreased and the production structure has changed. Less efficient sectors of the crop and livestock production declined. Regarding the aspect of financing of the agricultural sector, the European resources, mainly the direct payments, were determined. The total subsidies into agriculture increased in comparison with the pre-accession period. The volume of direct payments including the complementary national direct payments reached the maximum level in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Keywords: economic efficiency, income, production structure, subsidies, commodity sectors Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 92-99 Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Year: 2012 DOI: 10.17221/162/2010-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/162/2010-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201202-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:58:y:2012:i:2:id:162-2010-AGRICECON