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The objective of this paper is to assess the effect of long-term participation in an extension program on peri-urban family farming earnings. For this purpose, a survey of a sample of 156 participants in the Local Development Program (PRODESAL) of the Chilean National Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP) was conducted in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago. Half of the respondents were long-term participants with at least four yrs in the program, and the rest of the farmers were one-yr beneficiaries. A treatment regression model (TRM) with a binary endogenous variable was used to identify differences among long- and short-term farmer participation in PRODESAL. The first stage of the model is a probit regression that identifies factors influencing long-term participation in PRODESAL. The second stage has the total value of production (TVP) as a dependent variable, which captures agricultural earnings, and one of the explanatory variables is the binary endogenous regressor of the first stage of the model. The results show a positive impact of long-term participation in PRODESAL on TVP. Other variables, such as farm size, fertilization and access to credit, were significant and positively related to TVP as well. Education and social capital are shown to be variables that increase the probability of long-term participation of family farmers in the program. Resumen El objetivo de este artículo es evaluar el efecto de la participación en el largo plazo en un programa de extensión en los resultados económicos de agricultores familiares peri-urbanos. Para ello, se aplicó una encuesta a una muestra de 156 beneficiarios del Programa de Desarrollo Local (PRODESAL) del Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario (INDAP) en la Región Metropolitana de Santiago. La mitad de los agricultores encuestados son participantes de largo plazo en el programa con al menos cuatro años y la otra mitad eran beneficiarios hacía un año. Se utilizó un modelo de regresión con una variable binaria endógena para identificar las diferencias entre participantes de largo y corto plazo en PRODESAL. La primera etapa del modelo es una regresión Probit que identifica los factores que influencian la participación de largo plazo en PRODESAL. La segunda etapa tiene como variable dependiente el valor total de la producción (VTP), la cual captura los resultados económicos. Una de las variables explicativas es el regresor binario endógeno de la primera etapa del modelo. Los resultados muestran un impacto positivo de la participación de largo plazo en PRODESAL en el VTP. Otras variables, como el tamaño predial, la fertilización y el acceso a créditos, también fueron significativas y positivas. La educación y el capital social se evidencian como variables que incrementan la probabilidad de participación de largo plazo en el programa.

This study analyses technical efficiency (TE) levels among small-scale raspberry producers in Central Chile. Special attention is given in to investigate the impact of the marketing channel used by the farmers on their technical performance. The data used in this study were obtained from a farm-level survey of 139 small-scale raspberry farmers. A stochastic production frontier model was used to evaluate the association between TE, extension, training and farmers’ decisions to sell their production directly to the agro-industry or indirectly through an informal middleman. The empirical results show that the decision to sell raspberries using informal channels is negatively associated with farm productivity and revenues. The analysis also reveals a positive relationship between TE and income among experienced and trained farmers. Implementing food quality and safety standards was also found decisive in increasing farm income. Policy implications stemming from these results are also discussed.

This study updates previous meta-analysis of farm-level frontier function studies in order to provide a detailed systematic and comprehensive analysis of the effects that different studyspecific attributes have on mean technical efficiency (MTE) scores. Before presenting the technical efficiency (TE) analysis, we provide an overview of the evolution of key methodological approaches that have been developed and applied to measure and examine TE. A detailed descriptive analysis is then performed for a meta-dataset that includes 408 farm level TE studies, published between 1981 and mid-2014. Some studies report several MTEs, resulting in 900 observations or cases. A key result from the descriptive analysis is that the Average of the Mean Technical Efficiencies (AMTE) reported for all studies is 74.2%. The AMTE across methodological attributes tend to be quite similar but several significant differences are observed when comparisons are made across geographical regions, income levels, and types of product. The paper goes on to report the results of meta-regressions estimated using the fractional regression procedure, which is well suited for dependent variables that are defined on the unit interval or as a fraction (between 0 and 1), as is the case with TE. In the concluding section, we provide some thoughts concerning recent work that uses stochastic production frontier methodologies to evaluate the impact of developments projects while addressing biases from observable and unobservable variables.

Raspberry production has become a significant cash crop that supports the livelihood of many small-scale growers in Central Chile. Almost 100% of raspberry production is exported, and the cultivation of this crop has put pressure on smallholder farmers to integrate into the modern agri-food chain system. The goal of this article is to analyze technical efficiency (TE) levels for a sample of 139 small-scale raspberry farmers in the Maule region of Chile, the main production area for this crop in the country. One focus of this study is to evaluate the association between TE -understood as an indicator of managerial performance- and farmers’ decisions to sell their production directly to the agri-industry or indirectly through an informal middleman. Using a stochastic production frontier model we find that the commercialization decision plays an important role in the productivity and revenue of small-scale raspberry producers. The analysis also reveals a positive relationship between TE levels and income among experienced and trained farmers. The role of implementing food quality and safety standards on farm income is also discussed.

The demand for organic fruits and vegetables (F&V) is growing worldwide, creating market opportunities for developing countries as major suppliers. However, most export-oriented developing countries such as Chile have an undeveloped domestic market for organic products. This article identifies the segments of potential consumers of organic F&V in Central Chile using an exploratory CHAID model. A questionnaire was administered by surveying a random sample of 425 F&V consumers in central Chile. The results of the CHAID model suggest two segments of potential consumers of organic F&V. Both groups show awareness of the concept of organic food. Additionally, the first segment perceives organic agriculture to have ethical benefits to the society and considers organic F&V as healthy and nutritious; this group has a probability of over 80% to consume organic F&V. The second segment shows less awareness of the ethical benefits to society and its probability of consuming organic F&V depends on family income level. We discuss major implications for further studies on organic consumers. La demanda por frutas y verduras (F&V) orgánicas está creciendo alrededor del mundo, creando oportunidades de mercado para los países en desarrollo como principales proveedores. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los países en vías de desarrollo orientados a la exportación, tales como Chile, tienen un mercado interno no desarrollado para los productos orgánicos. Este artículo identifica los segmentos de potenciales consumidores de frutas y verduras orgánicas en el centro de Chile, utilizando un modelo CHAID exploratorio. Se aplicó un cuestionario a una muestra aleatoria de 425 compradores de frutas y verduras. Los resultados del modelo CHAID sugieren dos segmentos de potenciales consumidores de frutas y verduras orgánicas. Ambos grupos demuestran conocimiento del concepto de alimento orgánico. Adicionalmente, el primer segmento percibe que la agricultura orgánica entrega beneficios éticos a la sociedad y considera que F&V orgánicas son saludables y nutritivos; este grupo tiene una probabilidad de más de 80% de consumir F&V orgánicas. El segundo segmento demuestra menos conciencia de los beneficios éticos a la sociedad y su probabilidad de consumir F&V orgánicas, depende del nivel de ingreso familiar. Otras implicancias son discutidas para estudios posteriores en consumidores de alimentos orgánicos. Fil: Adasme-Berríos, Cristian. Universidad Católica del Maule (Talca, Chile) Fil: Sánchez, Mercedes. Universidad Pública de Navarra (Pamplona, España) Fil: Jara-Rojas, Roberto. Universidad de Talca (Chile) Fil: Engler Palma, Alejandra. Universidad de Talca (Chile) Fil: Rodríguez, Marcelo. Universidad Católica del Maule (Talca, Chile) Fil: Mora, Marcos. Universidad de Chile. Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas. Departamento de Economía Agraria.

The main objective of this article was to analyze consumer responses to agricultural produce advertising. A survey was given to a non-probabilistic sample of 400 consumers in Rancagua, the capital city of the O'Higgins Region. A principal components analysis (PCA) was performed to identify the main factors influencing the consumption of agricultural produce and recognized four factors that influence the consumption of agricultural products: influence of advertising, impact of produce advertising, consumption of vegetables, and advertising preference. Additionally, the market segments that respond to agricultural produce advertising were identified using decision-tree methodology (CHAID). The results show that education is the most important segmenting factor and that consumers with lower levels of education are more influenced by advertising. In addition, television is the most important medium for encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption. El objetivo general de la investigación fue analizar la respuesta del consumidor hacia la publicidad en productos agrícolas. Para este propósito una encuesta fue aplicada a una muestra no probabilística de 400 consumidores en la ciudad de Rancagua, capital de la Región de O'Higgins. Un análisis factorial de componentes principales (PCA) fue desarrollado para identificar los principales factores que influyen en el consumo de productos agrícolas. El análisis de PCA reveló la existencia de cuatro factores: influencia de la publicidad, impacto de la publicidad en productos agrícolas, consumo de vegetales, preferencia a la publicidad. Adicionalmente, los segmentos de mercado que responden a la publicidad en productos agrícolas, fueron identificados usando la metodología de árbol de clasificación (CHAID). Los resultados muestran que la educación es el factor de segmentación de mayor importancia, donde las personas con el menor nivel de educación son más influenciables por la publicidad. Además, la televisión es el medio comunicacional más influyente para mejorar el consumo de frutas y hortalizas.

El comercio internacional de fruta fresca está regulado por distintos estándares y normativas, algunos de carácter obligatorio fiscalizados por entidades públicas, y otros de carácter voluntario desarrollados por cadenas de distribución de alimento mundial, como GlobalGap. En Chile, desde el año 2000 existen iniciativas de apoyo a la certificación de estándares privados de Buenas Prácticas Agrícolas (BPA) para facilitar el acceso a mercados más exigentes y competitivos. Este estudio de casos busca estimar costos de cumplimiento de BPA y su variabilidad, identificar beneficios y desventajas de la certificación. Se encuestaron 26 productores exportadores de fruta fresca de la zona central de Chile (Región de O'Higgins y del Maule), 12 certificados con estándares privados de BPA y 14 no certificados, pero que cumplen con el DS No 594 relacionado con condiciones sanitarias y ambientales básicas en los lugares de trabajo. A partir de los resultados, se determina que el costo de cumplimiento de BPA tiende a ser mayor en productor no certificado ($ 308.095) que en certificado ($166.105); la diferencia está marcada por el costo de implementación e influenciada por el tamaño predial. La principal ventaja al adoptar protocolos privados de BPA es acceder a más y mejores mercados (> 78%), pero además entregan seguridad a trabajadores agrícolas y consumidores finales. Los productores consideran como principal desventaja el incremento en los costos de producción (58,3% certificado y 42,9% no certificado). International commerce of fresh fruit is regulated by different standards and norms, some of which are obligatory and controlled by public entities and others which are voluntary, developed by global food distribution chains such as GlobalGap. In Chile, since the year 2000 there have been initiatives to support the certification of private GAP standards to facilitate access to the most competitive and demanding markets. This case study estimates the costs of GAP compliance and their variability, and identifies the benefits and disadvantages of certification. Twenty six fresh fruit exporters from the central zone of Chile (O'Higgins and Maule Regions) were interviewed, 12 certified by private GAP standards and 14 not certified but who comply with Chilean sanitary decree DS N° 594, related to the basic safety and environmental standards in the workplace. The results show that the cost of GAP compliance tends to be greater for non-certified producers ($ 308,095 Chilean pesos) than for certified producers ($ 166,105); the difference is produced by the implementation cost, and influenced by the size of the orchard. The main advantage to adopting private GAP protocols is the access to more and better markets (> 78%); however they also provide security for agricultural workers and final consumers. Producers consider the main disadvantage to be the increase in production costs (58.3% certified and 42.9% not certified).

El desarrollo de sistemas agrícolas sustentables es un desafío en el contexto de políticas e incentivos tendientes a la conservación de los recursos naturales, especialmente en zonas de secano. El presente estudio examina variables demográficas y productivas que influyen en la adopción de tecnologías de conservación de suelos en 90 pequeños productores del secano interior de Chile Central, en las comunas de Pencahue y Curepto. Se utilizó un modelo de regresión Probit, el cual asocia la adopción de las tecnologías con las variables: edad del agricultor, tamaño familiar, superficie predial y forma de tenencia de la tierra; presencia de: plantaciones forestales, invernaderos, aboneras, animales mayores en el predio; experiencia en comercialización del productor y participación en actividades de capacitación. El modelo seleccionado tiene un alto poder de predicción, llegando a clasificar correctamente un 92,2% de las observaciones. Los resultados econométricos muestran que la participación en actividades de extensión, la superficie predial, la presencia de plantaciones forestales y el uso de aboneras, influyen de manera positiva y significativa sobre la adopción de tecnologías conservacionistas. Resulta relevante el impacto de la capacitación sobre la adopción de tecnologías de alto grado de inversión, así como la incorporación de prácticas de conservación de bajo nivel de inversión como las aboneras. The development of sustainable agricultural systems is a challenge in the context of policies and incentives aimed to the conservation of natural resources, especially in rainfed areas. This study examines demographic and productive variables that influence the adoption of soil conservation technologies (terraces and infiltration trenches) in 90 small scale farmers in the rainfed area of Central Chile, at the municipalities of Pencahue and Curepto. A Probit regression model was used which associates the adoption of technologies with the variables such as: age of farmer, family size, farm size, form of land tenure; presence of: tree plantations, greenhouses, composting and animals on the farm; participation in training activities and marketing expertise of the producer. The estimated Probit model has a high predictive power, reaching up to 92,2% of the correctly classified observations. The econometrics results show that the participation in training activities, the farm size, the presence of forest plantations and use of compost influence significantly and positively on the adoption of soil conservation technologies. The analysis not only reveals a positive impact of training on the adoption of high investment conservation practices but also on the incidence of the simple technologies such as use of compost. Fil: Roco Fuentes, Lisandro. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales Fil: Engler Palma, Alejandra. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales Fil: Jara-Rojas, Roberto. Universidad de Talca

In Chile, small-scale farmers are classified according to old approaches from 1993 that do not include changes occurred in the last two decades. Maule is the region with most rural population in Chile which represents a significant stratum for development, innovation and competitiveness. This study explores a new approach of small-scale farmers -associated with Family Farm Agriculture (AFC) - classification in Chile and it describes a commercial profile or AFC-1 for famers of the Maule Region. A Cluster analysis to determine AFC-1 farmers is used. The analysis includes four association variables: Total Assets, Farm Income, Production Costs and Management Indicators. The results suggest that 16.4% of the farmers have a commercial profile and they could stay out support provided by the National Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP). This group of farmers would not belong to AFC in short terms. This fact could bring restriction to AFC-1 farmers such as lack of credit access, less investment incentives and technical assistance. Thus, it would expect low process of technology adoption and welfare improvement. New agrarian policies must be warranted to support this important group of famers with a commercial profile. El pequeño productor en Chile es clasificado de acuerdo con criterios que datan desde 1993, los que no incorporan los cambios producidos en el medio rural en las últimas décadas. La Región del Maule concentra la mayor proporción de población rural de Chile, lo que representa un estrato significativo para las estrategias de desarrollo, innovación e inserción competitiva. En este estudio se exploraron nuevos criterios de clasificación del pequeño productor asociado a la Agricultura Familiar Campesina (AFC) en Chile, definiendo un nuevo perfil comercial con énfasis en agricultores de la Región del Maule. El perfil comercial se determinó a través de un análisis cluster considerando cuatro criterios de clasificación: Activos Totales, Ingreso Agrícola, Costos de Producción y un Indicador de Gestión. Del análisis se desprende que un 16,4% de los agricultores posee perfil comercial (AFC-1) y podría dejar de cumplir los requisitos establecidos por la Ley para ser usuarios del Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario (INDAP). En el corto plazo no serían parte de la AFC, lo que presentaría ciertas restricciones y factores que limitan la competitividad de este importante segmento, tales como el acceso al crédito, inversiones y asistencia técnica. Dichas variables son clave en procesos de adopción de nuevas tecnologías y mejoramiento del ingreso agrícola y, por lo tanto, posibilitan la permanencia en esta actividad económica. Políticas agrarias eficientes deben ser consideradas para continuar apoyando a este grupo de mayor capacidad empresarial. Fil: Jara-Rojas, Roberto. Universidad de Talca Fil: Díaz Osorio, José. Universidad de Talca Fil: Manríquez, Paula. Universidad de Talca Fil: Rojas, Álvaro. Universidad de Talca

This study estimates a stochastic production frontier to measure technical efficiency (TE) using farm-level survey data for a random sample of small-scale farmers in Central Chile. Socioeconomic and productive information was collected in season 2005/06 through a survey of 319 farmers in the Province of Linares. An important issue in the paper is the effect of adoption of soil and water conservation practices on productivity. The results reveal a positive relationship between the adoption of soil and water conservation and farm-level TE. The results also indicate that improvements in TE, when associated with conservation practices, not only lead to higher output and thus improvements in net returns, but also contribute to environmental sustainability. Moreover, the analysis reveals a positive relationship between TE and human capital variables such as education and agricultural extension.

J. Díaz Osorio, R. Jara-Rojas and F. Moya. 2012. Environmental and economic impact to the liberalization of genetic modified maize in Chile. Currently, about 125 million of hectares of GM crops are grown in 25 countries. Some authors establish that GM crops have contributed to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and reduce the use of machinery and chemicals. In Chile, seed production of GM crops is only allowed for export purposes; however, it cannot be used as input for commercial purposes. On the other hand, Chile allows imports of GM products from other countries. The adoption of GM is not only a farmer’s decision, but requires an agreement of many government agencies of the country. This research analyzes the possibility of grown GM crops in Chile for commercial purposes and examines the environmental impact that this decision would have. Besides, different scenarios were created for production of GM corn using information from Chilean farmers, experts and international experience. The results indicate that farmers could increase incomes in 20-76 dollars per hectare. Also, GM Corn provides substantial environmental benefits as it would reduce consumption to 16 liters of diesel. Thus, it is possible to reduce 42.5 kilograms of CO2 for each hectare. Roundup Ready does not reduce the kilograms of active ingredient applied, but Bt and Bt + RR reduce 37.6% and 40.2% of kilograms of active ingredient, respectively. More investigation is needed to analyze the potential impacts of GM seeds on local biodiversity.

La demanda creciente por alimentos orgánicos presenta ventas por encima de los cinco mil millones de dólares por año a nivel mundial. Esta demanda también se extiende a los países en desarrollo como es el caso chileno, el cual exporta el 90% de su producción, generando un mercado interno poco desarrollado para este tipo de productos. La presente investigación intenta identificar los constructos que caracterizan los potenciales consumidores de alimentos orgánicos. Para el desarrollo del estudio se aplicó una encuesta a una muestra de 422 consumidores de la Región del Maule en Chile central (N. C. = 95,5%; e = 3,0%). La información posteriormente fue analizada a través de la técnica multivariante denominada análisis factorial de componentes principales. Los resultados de la investigación revelan la existencia de cuatro dimensiones o constructos: (1) beneficios de la agricultura orgánica; (2) alimentación sana; (3) estilos de vida y (4) atributos de los productos orgánicos. Estas dimensiones influyen en la actitud e intención de compra por parte de los consumidores hacia los alimentos orgánicos y son elementos clave para formular estrategias de comercialización para productos orgánicos. The growing demand for the consumption of organic foods at worldwide level presents sales increasing by over five thousand million dollars per year. Demands extended to development countries like it is the Chilean case, which exports 90% of its production getting an internal market with low development for this type of products. The research tries to identify the constructs to characterize the potential consumers of organic foods. A survey was applied to 422 consumers to carry out the research in the Maule Region, central Chile (C. I. = 95.5%; e = 3.0%). The Information was analyzed through multivariante technic denominated factor analysis of principal components. The main results of the research reveal the existence of four dimensions or constructs, corresponding to: (1) benefits of the organic agriculture; (2) healthy feeding; (3) lifestyles; (4) attribute of organic foods. These four factors influence in the attitude and purchase intention for the consumers toward the organic foods. In addition being key elements when formulating market strategies for organic products. Fil: Adasme-Berríos, Cristian. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Dpto. de Ciencias Agrarias Fil: Rodríguez, Marcelo. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias Básicas Fil: Jara-Rojas, Roberto. Universidad de Talca Fil: Díaz-Tobar, Belén. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Dpto. de Ciencias Agrarias

Approximately 80% of the world’s agricultural land presents moderate levels of erosion. In Chile, the risks related to soil erosion are greater in the pre Andean mountain areas or coastal dry-lands. However, there are also indications of low levels of erosion in the Central Valley which, given the importance of this region for the country’s agricultural sector, should be taken seriously to avoid a worsening of the situation. This article examines the association of natural, social, human and fi nancial capital variables with the adoption of soil conservation practices in Linares, Chile. The total numbers of practices implemented is analyzed using a Poisson model which is appropriate when estimating multiple and joint technology adoption. The data comes primarily from a survey conducted between October and December 2005 to a total of 319 small scale farmers located in 32 water communities. The econometric results confi rm that participation in social activities, access to credit, farm size and production system are important variables associated with the adoption of conservation practices. This study generates relevant information to encourage and support peasant farmers in the context of sustainable and conservationist agriculture., Published by Asociación de Economistas Agrarios de Chile