Agricultural Land Lease Research Articles

Open Data for Transparency of Government Tenders: A State Analysis in Croatian Agriculture Land Lease

State-owned agricultural land is an asset that the state must manage in a responsible and transparent manner. Agricultural land is extremely important for farmers as it enables them to carry out agricultural activities. Due to its importance to farmers, it is often the subject of debate as stakeholders are often dissatisfied with the allocation and management of state-owned agricultural land. Qualitative research of the process of state agricultural land lease and the associated legislation in the Republic of Croatia enabled the analysis of the existing business model, with the results pointing to shortcomings in the Initial and Evaluation phases of the process. A steady rise in the number of tenders published in 2015–2022 was recorded. Local administrative units in the Continental region scored higher than those in the Adriatic region (both cities and municipalities) in terms of transparency. Unfortunately, the response rate from the local authorities was below 50% across both region and unit, further indicating low transparency. Based on the findings, a proposal of changes in the tendering process was made utilizing a digital platform as an environment for all stakeholders, which provides functionalities essential for the transparent implementation of tenders for the agricultural land lease in Croatia.

Practice of Cancellation of Agricultural Land Lease Agreement Unilaterally in Islamic Law in Sejangkung Hamlet Parit Raja Village Sejangkung District

Practice of Cancellation of Agricultural Land Lease Agreement Unilaterally in Islamic Law in Sejangkung Hamlet Parit Raja Village Sejangkung District

ОРЕНДНЕ ПРАВО КОРИСТУВАННЯ ЗЕМЕЛЬНИМИ ДІЛЯНКАМИ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКОГО ПРИЗНАЧЕННЯ В УМОВАХ СЬОГОДЕННЯ

The article is devoted to the study of the lease right to use agricultural land plots in today's conditions. It has been established that the current legislation regarding the lease of agricultural land has undergone certain changes with the introduction of martial law. Questions related to the lease of agricultural land, the procedure for its use, restoration, establishment of responsibility for violations in the field of land relations are constantly becoming the subject of both scientific and practical interest. In the course of the research, systemic-structural, comparative-legal and formal-logical methods were used, which made it possible to analyze changes in legislation and draw conclusions about their impact on the regulation of social relations in the field of lease of agricultural land plots. It has been proven that the relations arising from the lease of the agricultural plot of land are binding in nature and belong to the obligation law. This is justified by the fact that, firstly, the land plot is transferred from the lessor to the lessee for a certain period, after which the lease object is returned to the lessor. and therefore the use and ownership of the leased object is temporary. in addition, the lessor receives useful properties from the leased object - in the form of rent or other socio-economic effects, and the lessee when using the leased object in the course of his activity. Secondly, the lessee does not have the entire scope and set of rights of the owner to the land plot that is leased, at the same time, he has the scope of rights and obligations determined by the lease agreement of the agricultural land plot, which in turn determines the presence of certain rights and obligations of the lessor, and therefore raises the question of the existence of contractual obligations, which is quite logically in the sphere of regulation of obligation law. The modern conditions for the use of agricultural land plots under lease conditions have undergone significant changes due to the introduction of martial law, which caused the adjustment of the relevant legislation, which, in turn, led to the adjustment of the scope of rights and obligations of the lessor and lessee. In addition to procedural changes, there were changes in the essence of legal relations, which was reflected in law enforcement practice, namely, judicial practice.

Lease Stability in Agricultural Land: Legal Instruments in Poland and Selected European Countries

This manuscript explores the legal instruments related to the stability of agricultural land lease in Poland and selected European countries. The study begins with a brief history and evaluation of land leasing in regions including Germany, France, Poland, and Switzerland. Despite its prevalence, the European Union lacks overarching regulations on this matter, leaving it to individual Member States. The research emphasizes lease duration, extension, and continuity, especially during events like the transfer of lease rights or the death of involved parties. A comparative analysis of legislation from countries like Poland, Germany, Italy, and France is presented. The paper also touches upon EU funds related to land leasing. In conclusion, various legal solutions across Europe are highlighted, underscoring the importance of stability for farm development and alignment with the Common Agricultural Policy.

New Legislation on the Lease of Agricultural Land by the Municipality

Abstract On May 1, 2021, Act No. 151/2021 Coll., amending Act No. 504/2003 Coll. on the lease of agricultural land, agricultural business and forest land and on the amendment of certain laws as amended by later regulations, which amend Act of the Slovak National Council No. 330/1991 Coll. on land adjustments, arrangement of land ownership, land offices, land fund and on land communities as amended (hereinafter referred to as “Amendment No. 151/2021 Coll.”) entered into force. Amendment No. 151/2021 Coll. fundamentally changes the rules and obligations of the municipality as the owner of agricultural land when leasing agricultural land to other persons. The paper clearly explains the most important institutes related to the lease of agricultural land by the municipality and points out the new legal regime of the lease of municipal agricultural land effective from 1 May 2021.

Understanding agricultural land leasing in Ireland: a transaction cost approach

Formal written land leasing contracts offer an alternative to land purchase for those farmers wishing to expand their land area and provide greater security relative to informal short-term rental agreements and are particularly important for beginning farmers with resources insufficient to purchase land. Formal land leasing contracts vary in terms of their duration, but there is limited understanding about the determinants of contract duration in developed countries. In this research, we use econometric techniques and transaction level data to explore the determinants of duration for agricultural land lease contracts for two regions in Ireland. Under the transaction cost economics approach, the research explores the role of legal status, price and non-price conditions in influencing the contract duration. Results indicate that the legal status of the tenant is a significant factor in influencing the duration. Provisions such as break clauses appear positively related to duration and confirm the theoretical expectation that long-term contracts create a demand for processes that enable adaptation over the course of long-term exchange.

ФОРМИ ТА ПЕРЕВАГИ ІНКЛЮЗИВНИХ МОДЕЛЕЙ РОЗВИТКУ АГРОБІЗНЕСУ

The article is devoted to researching the scientific and applied foundations of building models of inclusive development of the agricultural sector and rural areas of Ukraine. Under modern conditions, the authors consider it expedient to consider increasing the level of inclusivity of agribusiness as a key strategic direction for achieving the goals of sustainable development of the national economy. Given the specifics and development trends of the agricultural sector of the Ukrainian economy, domestic agriculture can be defined as one of the most stable types of economic activity. In the future, agriculture may be able to provide the prerequisites for the revival of the national economy. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to find ways and tools for the implementation of inclusive development principles and models into agricultural practice. The set of advantages that the implementation of the principles of inclusivity in the practical activities of agribusiness structures can provide for all participants of the agri-food value chain is defined in this article. The main challenges and obstacles hindering the development of inclusive processes in agriculture are also identified here. Based on the study of foreign experience, the main forms of practical implementation of models of inclusive agrarian business were selected. Among them: models of contract farming; inclusive models of social farming; microfranchising; agricultural cooperatives, organizations and their group forms; public-private partnership; agricultural land lease agreements and agricultural management. Financial agrarian inclusion was defined as the economic basis for increasing the level of inclusiveness in the development of agriculture and rural areas. To characterize its content and nature in the methodological and practical plane, it was proposed to separate its four main dimensions, among them: 1) kinship, availability of financial resources and digital infrastructure; 2) increasing the efficiency of the use of financial resources; 3) inclusive regulatory agrarian and financial policy; 4) development of the potential of inclusive socially responsible agricultural investment.

Analysis of Latvian Land Fund Transactions With Agricultural Land

In order to promote the preservation of agricultural land and the sustainable use of its areas for the needs of agricultural production, on 1 July 2015, the Latvian Land Fund established by the state started operating in Latvia. The Land Fund was established to promote the preservation and use of agricultural land for agricultural purposes in Latvia in the amount of not less than 2 million hectares, involving approximately 0.4 million hectares of agricultural land not previously actively used in active agricultural production. The operation of the Land Fund is regulated by the Law on Privatization of Land in Rural Areas and the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on transactions with agricultural land. Development Finance Institution ALTUM has been approved as the land fund manager. The Latvian land fund consists of accumulated agricultural land, which is further leased, sold or changed. The main activities of the Land Fund are the purchase of agricultural land, the lease of agricultural land and the sale or exchange of land. The Land Fund buys property from existing owners who are no longer able or for any other reason unable or unwilling to continue to use agricultural land for agricultural activities themselves. The Land Fund is looking for a buyer or manager for the purchased property. For unleased and unsold properties, the fund organizes management - mowing, and bush removal with the aim of keeping agricultural land in good condition, cleaning up agricultural land and returning it to agricultural circulation. The aim of the study is to analyze the Latvian Land Fund's transactions with agricultural land since the establishment of the Land Fund.

Supporting site planning through monetary values for biomass and nature conservation services from ecosystem accounts

Ecosystem services can be measured physically, but also valued in monetary terms. In public planning and decision-making in Germany, multi-criteria analysis is usually used to inform decision-makers about different impacts of projects, for example, for housing and the siting of industrial or infrastructure projects. Typically, these evaluations are based on various environmental, social and economic impacts using their own specific methods and then juxtapose the different results, without providing further support for weighing various concerns. Economic evaluations attempt to assess preferences of individuals and society in relation to the outcomes that are relevant for a decision, thereby providing further support to decision-makers. Although so-called welfare values are usually used for this purpose in cost-benefit analysis, it can be shown that, in certain cases, exchange values from environmental economic accounting also fulfil that objective. This is demonstrated for the case of site planning, using maps of economic values of biomass provisioning services and ecosystem services for nature conservation. The ecosystem service values used for this purpose were determined spatially explicitly nationwide for Germany. Services for nature conservation were calculated as average costs to develop one ´biotope value point´. This unit is used in German planning law to determine ecological compensation measures for impacts on nature. Cost data were calculated from nature conservation measures to fulfil the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive. As a proxy for the biomass provisioning service, hypothetical agricultural land-lease rates with different yield potential were estimated throughout Germany. Due to a lack of other spatially specific data, timber services were valued with the average net profit of forestry businesses. A comparison shows that, on average, services for nature conservation have higher values than biomass provisioning services. This is the case even for arable land.

Research on Income evaluation of photovoltaic agricultural investment model based on fuzzy real option

With the proposal of emission peak and carbon neutrality, in view of the actual development of China's energy economy , photovoltaic agriculture becomes an important means to promote the economic development of poor and remote areas. Aiming at the investment modes of photovoltaic agriculture projects such as agricultural land leasing and farmers' participation in investment, this paper constructs a fuzzy real option investment model, and uses Monte Carlo simulation method to evaluate and analyze the income of both photovoltaic power generation project modes. The research shows that compared with the traditional real option income evaluation, the fuzzy real option model is more suitable for the investment evaluation of photovoltaic power generation project modes, and the project with farmers’ participation has higher returns. The income evaluation results show that the best time to benefit from the photovoltaic power generation project is in the next seven years or so, which provides reference for policy guidance and investment decision-making, and helps to promote the development of photovoltaic agriculture projects.

Review of Sharia Economic Law on Termination of Agricultural Land Lease Contract in Alahan Panjang

This study aims to find out the economic fiqh review of the termination of agricultural land lease contracts in Alahan Panjang. Renting farmland is done during the growing season until the harvest season in Alahan Panjang. The formulation of the problem in this study is how the implementation of the termination of agricultural land lease contracts in Alahan Panjang and how the economic fiqh review of the termination of agricultural land lease contracts. This study uses field research with qualitative approach. The data was obtained through in-depth interviews. Based on the results of the study concluded the implementation of agricultural land lease contracts have not met the pillars and conditions, namely the unilateral termination of agricultural land lease contracts from Mu'ajir while the time agricultural land contract has not expired. Termination of this contract results in material losses for musta'jir. In this economic fiqh review is a bad habit or urf' fasid. There is no benefit of both parties in the termination of the land lease contract, because one of the parties feels harmed.

Lower price increases, the bounded rationality of bidders, and underbidding concerns in online agricultural land auctions: The Ukrainian case

AbstractAuction theory suggests that bidders follow a dominant strategy that is to submit the highest bid equal to the bidder's true valuation in an ascending price auction with independent and private values. Bidders in real‐world auctions may deviate from this strategy, resulting in either underbidding—submitting bids lower than the valuation—or overbidding—bidding an amount in excess of the real value. This study utilises data collected from online agricultural land lease auctions in Ukraine that took place between October 2018 and September 2019 to analyse the occurrence of minimal price increases, which may indicate underbidding. It investigates if factors—auction and property characteristics—that typically explain deviations from the dominant strategy—can also explain bidding behaviours in land lease auctions. The estimation using a heteroscedastic probit model reveals that underbidding could reasonably be attributed to low competition, insufficient time to place a subsequent bid, very small bid increments, and cumbersome entry fees.

Implementation of Agricultural Land Lease Agreements Based on Profit Sharing System in Kejajar District, Wonosobo Regency

Most of the Wonosobo area is a mountainous area, therefore the livelihoods of the Wonosobo people are still mostly working in agriculture. In Kejajar District, Wonosobo Regency, farmers/cultivators usually enter into lease agreements with landowners. To use the agricultural land is done orally based on trust and has been passed down from generation to generation by the people of Kejajar District, Wonosobo Regency. This becomes unclear if there is a dispute between the landowner and the cultivator. So this research was conducted to find out how the process of implementing the lease of agricultural land. The research method used in this study is a normative juridical approach, which is carried out through a literature study that examines secondary data in the form of legislation and other legal documents, as well as research results, study results, and other references. The normative juridical method can be supplemented by interviews. The people of Kejajar District still use agricultural land production sharing agreements using customary law, which is only done verbally and based on mutual trust between the two parties, even though the government has provided a legal umbrella related to the agricultural land product sharing system, namely Law Number 2 of 1960 concerning Agricultural Product Sharing. Most of the people of the Kejajar Subdistrict, Wonosobo Regency are also not aware of the existence of Law Number 2 of 1960 concerning Agricultural Product Sharing. The factors that occur in the implementation of agricultural land production sharing agreements in Kejajar District, Wonosobo Regency are due to the large number of farmers who do not own land, agricultural land that has been neglected for a long time, landowners who do not have much time to take care of the land because they are busy trading.Keywords: Profit sharing, Agricultural land, Leases

Does policy cognition affect livestock farmers' investment in manure recycling facilities? Evidence from China

An increase in living standards and dietary changes have induced a rapid growth in the livestock sector worldwide, which has led to considerable environmental damages due inappropriate disposal of livestock manure. Using primary data from a field survey of cattle farmers in China, this paper empirically examines the impact of policy cognition on livestock farmers' investment in manure recycling facilities. The impact is tested through the multiple mediator model to accommodate two potential mediating mechanisms, which are the agricultural cooperative membership and land leasing. Three conclusions arise. First, policy cognition has a significant positive impact on both the diversification and amounts of farmers' investment in manure recycling facilities. Second, membership in agricultural cooperatives and participation in land leasing are two important mediating mechanisms for policy cognition to affect farmers' investment decisions on manure recycling. Finally, for the two mediating variables, leasing additional agricultural land promotes more investment in manure recycling facilities, but less in investment diversification, while cooperative membership has the opposite impact. This study contributes to three areas of literature on the factors affecting investment decisions, the mediating effects of policy cognition and the investment in non-production related assets. Regarding policy implications, we identify the importance of promoting policy awareness and agricultural cooperatives among livestock farmers, as well as developing land lease markets in agricultural regions in promoting investment in manure recycling facilities.

Women's Group Farming on Leased Land The Experience of Pradan in Odisha

Women’s groups have emerged as an important platform for promoting the economic, political and social empowerment of poor women. In India, Self Help Groups (SHGs), are becoming substantially involved in agricultural development activities, largely through the National Rural Livelihoods Mission platforms (NRLM) and with the assistance of NGOs. In the tribal areas of Odisha, women farmers’ access to land is low, even though they are closely involved in farming activities. In fact, most tribal women are legally landless, meaning, either they don’t own land or own less than one standard acre (a minimum area required to ensure food production for an average family). Individual forest rights are now being recently formally recognized under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which requires that both spouses’ names are recorded. The Record of Rights (RoR) maintained by the Revenue Department lacks a column to record the landholder’s gender and does not always record land jointly in the name of wife and husband. As most of the agricultural land titles are maintained in the RoR, women lack recognition as landowners and hence women farmers. Interventions PRADAN, an NGO with considerable experience of working with SHGs and agriculture, used collective farming as a strategy in Rayagada district to augment the livelihoods of tribal women SHG members and also to support their recognition, at least among local actors, as women farmers. Along with a strong institutional support system, PRADAN assisted the women’s groups to lease in private land and also cultivate on government land, with the consent of the village community, supported by robust extension, communication, convergence and market linkages, to significantly increase their farm income. Lessons Group farming can be an alternative production model for women farmers to pool land, labour and capital to create larger farms, improve their agricultural income and also become recognised as women farmers at least by local actors. In the absence of legal sanction and enforceability of the leasing arrangements - which are informal, due to the prevailing legal framework banning agricultural land leasing in Odisha - these groups, however, face the risk of landlords either demanding higher rents after witnessing the increasing profitability of group-farming or preferring to withdraw their land from the lease arrangement due to their fear of losing the land to the SHG through long-term possession, as per existing laws. As most women farmers are landless, lack land records and operate through informal land leasing, they are also not eligible as individual farmers to access formal credit and government entitlements, which affect the profitability of group farming and individual returns, in addition to the pace and inclusivity of agricultural transformation.

Conditions underlying agricultural land lease in Poland, in the context of the agency theory

Research into the land owner-lessee relationship is among the oldest and classic examples of analyses made by economists into agency relationships, the fact that has encouraged the author to carry out this empirical study among agricultural land lessees in Poland (227 agricultural producers who lease farmland). The objective was to gain the knowledge of how this form of land use and farmland management was perceived by lessees. The research results were enriched with an analysis of the data from public statistics and an overview of the most important legal acts creating the institutional framework for land use in the form of lease in Poland. The survey addressed to lessees of farmland from the Agricultural Property Stock of the State Treasury confirmed that there is information asymmetry between the principal (the National Support Centre for Agriculture) and the agent (the lessee), including the knowledge of such facts as the application of agronomic treatments on leased land or volumes of harvested yields.What makes the research subject more important is the specific character of farmland lease in Poland, that is a lack of a legal act dedicated strictly to this institution compounded by frequent changes in legal regulations indirectly governing land lease, which both affect the scope and popularity of this form of agricultural land use. The agricultural policy in Poland regarding the institution of lease is inconsistent. The question that needs to be resolved is whether this form of land use in agriculture will be supported and perpetuated, or whether it will be treated as a transient form of land use leading to complete ownership transformation.

ORGANIZATIONAL, ECONOMIC AND LEGAL PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE USE OF LAND BY ENTERPRISES IN UKRAINE

Purpose. The aim of the article is the in-depth study of organizational, economic and legal principles of effective land use by Ukrainian enterprises. Methodology of research. The methodological basis of the study is the dialectical method of scientific knowledge. In the course of the research general scientific and special methods were used, in particular analysis and synthesis (for the analysis of the dynamics of fertilizer application and the level of crop yield); grouping of enterprises by area of agricultural land (for the analysis of economic efficiency of production); economic and statistical (to assess the lease and sale of land); abstract and logical (to outline the main directions of organizational, economic and legal principles of effective use of agricultural land in Ukraine, the formation of conclusions and proposals to improve state monitoring, regulation and support of enterprises). Findings. It is investigated that the yield and efficiency of crop production largely depend on the level of technical and technological innovation and resource-saving tools, which helps to perform work on time and reduce losses. There is a direct relationship between the level of yield and efficiency of production of all crops and the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. Unfortunately, the share of fertilized sown areas on average in 2016-2019 in Ukraine was: mineral fertilizers – 89.5%, and organic - only 3.5%. There is a tendency to increase the number of enterprises in the area of land, which indicates a positive direction of concentration and efficiency of production. It was found that the efficiency of crop and livestock production by Ukrainian enterprises has been quite unstable in recent years and is declining due to a significant increase in energy prices and rising production costs. It is established that an important area of increasing the area of land and improving their use is the lease and sale of agricultural land. At the same time, the Ukrainian land market has been operating under a moratorium for the last 15-18 years, creating a wide field of action for corruption and leading to a loss of UAH 56 billion in GDP. It is investigated that an important direction of improving the efficiency of land use and increasing jobs in the country is to restore the work of domestic plants for the production of resource-saving technical and technological means (tractors, seeders, combines, etc.). It was found that a powerful way to increase land use is to strengthen state monitoring and control over the development of agro-industrial production in order to anticipate possible price disparities in some foods and their regulation. Originality. The substantiation of the influence of organizational-economic and legal bases on the economic efficiency of agricultural lands use by Ukrainian enterprises was further developed. Practical value. Substantiated research results can be used by agricultural enterprises, factories for the production of agricultural machinery (combines, machines, tractors, etc.) and the Ukrainian authorities to improve the economic efficiency of agricultural land use. Key words: land; resource-saving equipment; mineral and organic fertilizers; crop yields; rent and sale of land plots; land use efficiency.

Organizational and economic levers to ensure an acceptable level of agro-ecological safety in the context of leadership

It is proved on the basis of the analysis of statistical reports that the current state of agricultural land use in Ukraine in the production commercial products crop production is not balanced. It was shown that the increase in agricultural production profits is due to the depletion of agro-resource potential without proper implementation of land-based activities. The result of this method of agricultural production on the basis of agricultural land use is high indicators of losses as land resources (the area of degraded soils grows annually by 90 thousand hectares (NATIONAL Report, 2014), more than 30,7% of lands are eroded), and financial losses (the loss of crop in the medium-earth soils is 40%, and strongly-swollen - 60%), the consequences of which will be even more disappointing for the following periods. In the process of execution objective of this work from the analysis of the reasons for the formation of increased levels of anthropogenic loading on agroecosystem in Ukraine the systematization of the types of it’s impacts has been organized in groups, the key role of agroholdings in this aspect has been determined as the most significant organizational and economic form of implementation of agro-industrial activities. At the same time land use is going based involvement on instruments of lease of agricultural land, due to which the owner of the land plot moving away from the process of land use and minimizing the interest of land users in maintaining an acceptable level of agro-ecological safety, and preferences are given to economic priorities. The correction of the situation is proposed through the strengthening of the use of the potential of organizational and economic instruments and instruments designed to create new economic conditions, which ensures the introduction of a system of scientifically grounded land-use measures, both at the regional level and at a state-level high-value scale. The necessity of introducing an economic turnaround of agricultural land plots with the simultaneous strengthening of the legislative and regulatory framework for the functioning of these processes, the development of the institutional environment and information infrastructure to ensure transparency and public access to information on the state of agroecological safety and qualitative characteristics of soils is substantiated.

Ways of commercialization of agricultural land

The paper analyzes the ways of commercialization of agricultural land in the Krasnodar Krai. The same mechanism of supply and demand operates in the land market as in all other markets. The main factors of stabilization and growth of demand are considered. The dynamics of changes in the average indicators of agricultural land lease is presented. Proposals have been made for the enforcement of the rights of municipalities to register huge areas of ownerless, uncultivated agricultural land in shared ownership under municipal ownership in order to involve them in civil commerce, to increase local budget revenues from the use of these lands.

Land resource potential of the country as a basis for the development of organic agriculture

Today there is a tendency to deteriorate the quality of soils: lowering the level of humus, increasingtheir acidity, deteriorating the balance of nutrients inthe soil and so on. Therefore, the transition to organic production is one of the necessary conditions for improving the quality of agricultural land and solving the problems of rational use of land resources.The article considers the peculiarities of growingorganic products by producers in the lease of agricultural land, which contributes to the creation of an optimal environment for the development of organic movement and ensures food security. The main trends in the development of organic agriculture in European countries are revealed as an alternative model of agriculture in the context of improving the quality of natural soil fertility, expanding the production of organic products for complete and safe healthy human nutrition and preserving the environment.The current state of organic production is analyzedand the prospects of its development in the countriesof the European Union are determined.A comparative analysis of the rate of change in thenumber of foreign certified organic enterprises during the study period showed that their number increased almost sevenfold, and the average size of organic farms fell sharply by more than three times.The attitude of agricultural enterprises to organicproducts is studied. The transition of agriculturalproducers to organic farming methods is possibleonly if the benefits of organic production comparedto traditional. Therefore, issues of improving the efficiency of organic production remain relevant andrequire further research. The problems that hinder the development of organic production in the conditions of land relations reform are also considered. The issue of effective use of the potential of agricultural lands of agricultural enterprises is considered. The problems of economic and ecological impact on land resource potential, factors that negatively affect the quality and fertility of land are analyzed.It is established that further research should beaimed at exploring the possibilities of using the world experience of organic farming to develop comprehensive programs to stimulate those areas and areas of agricultural activity that are developing internationally and meet consumer needs and protect and restore the environment.