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Organic certification, agro-ecological practices and return on investment: Evidence from pineapple producers in Ghana

Linda Kleemann and Awudu Abdulai

Ecological Economics, 2013, vol. 93, issue C, 330-341

Abstract: The recent empirical literature on economic sustainability of certified export crops shows that certification standards that enhance yields are important for improving farm revenues and household welfare. However, limited evidence exists on the impact of organic certification on the adoption of agro-ecological practices. In this study, we use unique farm-level data from pineapple producers in Ghana to examine the impact of organic certification on the use of agro-ecological practices such as organic fertilizers, organic pest and weed control, crop rotation, and soil and water conservation, as well as how using these measures affect farm outcomes such as return on investment. Our empirical results reveal that organic certification increases agro-ecological practice use, although from a very low starting point. Using a generalized propensity score approach, we show that there is a positive, but nonlinear relationship between the intensity of agro-ecological practice use and return on investment.

Keywords: Organic agriculture; Certification; Agro-ecological practices; Return on investment; Impact assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q13 Q17 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (33)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:93:y:2013:i:c:p:330-341

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.06.017

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