Organic Hazelnut Research Articles

French organic hazelnut production: a case study in southwestern France

French organic hazelnut production: a case study in southwestern France

Factors Influencing Conventional Hazelnut Farmers to Transition to Organic Production: The Case of Türkiye

This study examined the willingness of conventional hazelnut farmers to transition to organic hazelnut production and identified key factors for stimulating such a shift. Face-to-face interviews based on a structured questionnaire were conducted with Turkish farmers who use conventional methods of hazelnut production. A total of 120 interviews were conducted and subjected to data analysis. Logit analysis revealed that the farmers’ decision to transition to organic farming is significantly influenced by several demographic factors (including farmer’s experience, available family labour, available land for organic farming and sufficiency of tools and equipment) and attitudinal predispositions (holding a positive attitude towards organic agriculture). Findings suggest the need for policy actions to support a more willing acceptance of organic farming practices among conventional hazelnut growers, with anticipated positive effects on both the environment and consumer demand.

Organic Hazelnut Farming Techniques: A Review

Growing environmental and human health awareness due to increased concerns caused by intensive agriculture, has resulted a trend toward organic farming. Organic farming first started in the mid-1980s worldwide, introduced in Türkiye during 1989–1999 with raisin, fig and apricot, and then hazelnut was included in these products. In our country, total of 21.418,57 tons of organic hazelnut production occurs on 12.129,24 ha in 18 provinces. Considering the entire hazelnut production area, organic production is quite low. Organic hazelnut production requires daily monitoring of mechanical control and cultivation measures in the orchard. In addition to this intensive labor, the extraordinary increase in agricultural inputs in the recent period may explain such a low production amount. However, given the recent environmental disasters in the world, human and environmental friendly production systems such as organic agriculture should be encouraged in order to restore the natural balance that has been significantly damaged.

The agricultural mechanization situation of agricultural enterprises involved in organic and conventional hazelnut cultivation in Turkiye

The aim of the research is to examine and evaluate the agricultural mechanization status of organic and traditional hazelnut farming enterprises in Alaplı and Karadeniz Ereğli districts of Zonguldak province in Turkey. A survey was conducted with a total of 209 enterprises from 34 villages in 2 districts where hazelnut production is intense in the research. The survey study includes information about the land assets of the enterprises, tractor, agricultural-tool and machinery assets, and hazelnut production stages. In addition, mechanization applications in all agricultural processes from tillage to harvest in hazelnut production were examined and evaluated. It has been determined that 24 of the organic hazelnut production enterprises and 30 of the traditional hazelnut production enterprises have tractors and it has been determined that the tractor brand preferences of the enterprises vary independently from each other. Massey Ferguson and New Holland brands are mostly preferred. It has been determined that the vast majority of businesses prefer to use motorized hoeing machines. As a result, when organic hazelnut enterprises used traditional hazelnut production in previous years and gave up this production system, they reduced the use of tools and machinery. For this reason, it has been determined that there are fewer tools and machines in organic hazelnut producer enterprises compared to traditional hazelnut producer enterprises. While the tractor power (kW/ha) value per unit area processed in organic hazelnut producer enterprises was 1.344, this value was found as 6.320 kW/ha in traditional hazelnut producer enterprises. It is seen that traditional hazelnut producer enterprises are in a better situation in terms of mechanization level than organic hazelnut producer enterprises.

Comparative life cycle assessment of conventional and organic hazelnuts production systems in Central Italy

Agricultural activity is responsible of considerable negative effects on the environment. In this context, in the last years, organic cultivation is increasing being perceived as more sustainable for the environmental. Nevertheless, this higher sustainability compared to conventional agricultural systems is debated. This applied for crops but also for livestock systems.For some of the main crops (i.e., cereals, soybean) comparative analysis were carried out but for most of the other annual and perennial crops there is a lack of information about the environmental impact related to conventional and organic cultivation In this study, the environmental impact of the conventional and organic farming systems of hazelnuts production in Viterbo province in Italy was evaluated using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. Even if originally developed for industrial processes, LCA is more and more applied also to agriculture systems to quantify the environmental impact.Primary data were collected by the main Producer Organization and elaborated considering 1 kg of hazelnuts as functional unit and a from cradle to gate approach considering the 50-years as life cycle duration of the crop. Finally, using the Recipe characterization method, 15 midpoint impact categories were evaluated.The results show how, except than for ecotoxicity related impact categories, organic cultivation practice shows higher impact (from +5% to +285%) respect to the conventional production. For ecotoxicity related impact categories, organic hazelnut production performs better (from −42% to −81%) than the conventional one because no synthetic pesticides are applied. The sensitivity analysis carried shows how yield is the main driver of the environmental results while the uncertainty analysis performed with the Monte Carlo technique shows that the to the selection of the data source, model imprecision and data variability does not significantly affect the environmental results for the evaluated impact categories.

Samsun İli Organik Fındık Tarımsal Üretici Birliklerinde Üye Memnuniyeti

The objective of this study was to examine the level of member satisfaction and its influencing factors in the Organic Hazelnut Agricultural Producer Union (OHAPU) of the Samsun Province. The data of this study was collected through surveys from 92 members in the Samsun Province using the Simple Random Sampling Method. The factors affecting the levels of the members’ satisfaction were analyzed by the Ordered Probit Model. The research results showed that while 52% of the members were highly satisfied with the union, 30% and 18% of the members were satisfied at moderate and low levels, respectively. The empirical model results showed also that while the variables of the education level of the member, marketing hazelnut through the unions, participation in education, the member’s commitment to the union and the trust level of the member in other members had statistically positive effects on the satisfaction level of the members towards the union, the variables of gender and frequency of visits to the union had statistically negative effects. Therefore, the union’s taking a more active role in marketing of the hazelnut of the members, increasing the participation of the members to training programs, encouraging more women to become a member of the union, increasing the members’ trust in and commitment to their unions could increase the members’ satisfaction to their union.

Mediterranean Cropping Systems: The Importance of Their Economic and Environmental Sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of people, as well as the production and economic systems throughout the world. The flow of raw materials and products, the supply of labor and manpower, and the purchasing power have all been changed to the detriment of individual health and well-being. Such a situation requires placing even more emphasis on the search for virtuous agricultural systems compatible with the goals of economic and environmental development so clearly defined at the world level in the last decades. The present study aimed to assess the environmental and economic performance of some typical Mediterranean crops grown under different agronomical management regimes, such as strawberry, hazelnut, apricot tree, kiwifruit, peach, olive tree, and grapevine, to emphasize the importance of the mentioned issues even in the current pandemic situation. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to investigate the environmental profile of the studied crops, while lifecycle costing (LCC) was performed to assess and compare the economic aspects. From the environmental perspective, the hobby-organic olive systems were the most eco-friendly cropping systems, emitting 0.031 to 0.105 kg CO2eq per kg olives, while the organic hazelnut system had the greatest impact (1.001 kg of CO2eq per kg). Apricot, kiwifruit, and peach systems used N and P inputs most effectively, while strawberry systems efficiently used fossil fuels. Olive HO-2, kiwifruit, and peach cropping systems had the lowest budgets, with the costs amounted to 0.12 € kg-1 per fruit for Olive HO-2 and 0.28 € kg-1 per fruit for both kiwifruit and peach. On the contrary, organic strawberry cultivation was the most expensive (4.77 € kg-1). The variability in results due to the large differences between contexts, such as landscape, technical knowledge, and crop management, characterized the studied agricultural systems. To easily identify sustainability classes and to diminish the impact of farming practices, a considerable effort should be expended to combine LCA with LCC, C sequestration estimates, and some other useful indicators for the environmental quality evaluation.

Determination of color properties of organic and conventional hazelnut flour

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the differences in color characteristics of hazelnut flours obtained from organic and conventional hazelnuts, which play an important role in consumer preferences.Materials and Methods: Six commercially important hazelnut cultivars (Çakıldak, Foşa, Mincane, Palaz, Sivri, Tombul) were selected. The samples were collected from Western (Düzce), Middle (Samsun, Ordu) and Eastern Black Sea (Trabzon) regions. The hazelnuts which were separated from their husks and dried in the sun were unshelled by hand and turned into flour. L (brightness), a (redness) and b (yellowness) values of the samples were determined on the HunterLab Color Flex EZ color measurement device, and then the chroma value (C), hue angle (h°), total color difference (ΔE) values were calculated. Statistical tests were performed using SAS-JAMP v10.0 software. One-way ANOVA was used to determine significant differences between levels, and LSD test was used for comparisons of multiple means.Results: According to the study results, L values of organic nuts were higher than conventioanals (P ˂0.05) and no difference was found between a, b, chroma and hue values (P ˃0.05). Cultivars was found to be effective on L and a (P ˂0.05), Tombul was found to be brighter than other cultivars, Çakıldak has the highest a value. It has been determined that the total color difference (ΔE) between the production methods is perceptibleConclusion: According to these results, organic hazelnut flours are thought will have a positive effect on consumer preferences since they have a brighter appearance.

Avaliação preliminar da diversidade e abundância de artrópodes num pomar de aveleiras

Functional biodiversity is an asset for agricultural systems, particularly due to the role played by the promotion of ecosystem services, namely the natural control of crop pests. The biodiversity of arthropods associated with the hazelnut orchards in Portugal is little known, specially in relation with the natural enemies, and resumed to lists of the main pests. In this sense, and in order to contribute to the conservation and promotion of functional biodiversity in the hazelnut orchards, it is important to know the diversity and abundance of arthropods of this agroecosystem. The work was carried out in the organic hazelnut orchard of Estacao Agraria de Viseu. Arthropods were collected, between May and August 2018, using the knockdown technique, after which they were screened in the laboratory and selected by orders, morphotypes and functional roles (predators, parasitoids, phytophages, detritivorous and indifferent). About 1557 arthropods were captured belonging to 9 orders from the class Insecta class (88% of the inidividuals) and the class Arachnida class (order: Araneae). Regarding the class Insecta, the most abundant orders were: Hemiptera - suborder Heteroptera, (Anthocoridae and Miridae), Coleoptera (greater number of morphotypes, in particular of the Coccinelidae family) and, also, Hymenoptera, Dermaptera and Neuroptera. Keywords: dried fruits, entomofauna, functional biodiversity, Corylus avellana L.

Members’ Willingness to Invest Capital in the Agricultural Producer Unions: A Case of Samsun Province in Turkey

The research aimed to reveal the members’ willingness to invest capital in the Agricultural Producer Union (APU) and the factors influencing their decisions. The main data of the study obtained through the surveys from 420 members of the APU. Members’ willingness to invest capital in their unions and effective factors were determined using the Contingent Valuation Method and the Random Effects Tobit model, respectively. The research revealed that 44% of the union members were willing to make an average contribution of 355 TL to their unions. Random Effects Tobit model results revealed that member's trust, membership fee, participation in trainings, memberships of livestock union, apple and beekeeping, export crops through the union, attending the general assembly, level of education and agricultural experience positively affected the willingness to invest capital, while membership of the organic hazelnut and vegetables union, gender, management experience, age and total income negative affected the willingness to invest capital. In order to increase members’ willingness to invest capital to their unions, members’ trusts and participations in the training activities and administration of the unions should be increased.

Sustainability of organic versus conventional hazelnut production in Turkey

The aim of this research is to compare the sustainability of organic versus conventional hazelnut production in the Terme district of Samsun province, Turkey. Structured interviews were used to collect data from 64 randomly selected conventional and all 39 organic hazelnut producers living in the study area. The sustainability of organic production activities was analyzed in terms of economic, social and environmental aspects. A sustainability index was calculated based on 23 sustainability indicators. Research results showed that organic hazelnut production activities were relatively more sustainable than conventional organic production. With respect to economic sustainability, organic hazelnut producers had more income from both agricultural and non-agricultural sources, used more credit from the banks and were less risk averse than the conventional producers. Concerning environmental sustainability, the organic producers, as expected, had more diversified products, used more organic inputs, adopted more organic farming methods but needed more labor input than their conventional counterparts. As far as the social sustainability was concerned, the organic producers had more formal education and used more often and diverse sources of information than conventional producers. Both environmental and economic sustainability had more critical issues than social sustainability for both groups of producers. Supporting commercial organic fertilizer rather than organic compost and manure use endangered the sustainability. Thus, the growers were motivated to use inputs from their own farms and to decrease their dependence on commercial inputs from outside. In addition, the dependency to foreign markets and contract companies due to limited domestic market opportunities also threatens the sustainability. Agricultural products should be diversified rather than hazelnut monoculture, and the entire organic cropping system should be supported to integrate organic cropping system. Conventional growers should be trained to use more sustainable agricultural methods rather than excessive and incorrect use of chemically inputs. Organic producers should be encouraged to benefit from research, extension and financial support services.

Comparison between conventional and organic hazelnut farmers: a case study in Terme District of Samsun, Turkey

The primary purpose of this study was to compare conventional and organic hazelnut farmers regarding socioeconomic characteristics and the different cultural practices they apply on their hazelnut orchards. Two stratified samples of 56 conventional and 42 organic hazelnut producing farmers from Terme district of Samsun province were the participants of this study. Information was provided by administering a questionnaire filled out during the face-to-face interviews conducted with each farmer. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests of independence were used to analyze data. Results of this study showed that organic hazelnut farmers are more conscious about some cultural practices such as conducting soil testing and applying lime treatments. Conventional farmers, on the other hand, are more careful in applying terracing in sloppy areas and applying a general field cleaning before harvest. Organic farmers demand more extension service which they can easily access from Organic Hazelnut Farmers' Union.

The comparison of social networks between organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Samsun

This study was carried out to reveal the sources of communication and social network of organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Samsun province. The primary and basic material of the study is the data obtained from the surveys, interviews and observations of the organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Camlica, Yuksekyayla villages and Agcaguney town. Both producer groups were compared in terms of their social networks and communication channels especially on the use of different fertilizers by making suggestions on how to develop it. The results of the research showed that socio-economic status of the organic hazelnut producers was better than conventional producers in terms of land size, income, cooperation capacity, risk management and agricultural supports. Social Network Analysis (SNA) has shown the graphs of communication networks among the producers, their relationships with different public, private and mass media information sources and especially revealed leader farmers whom functioned as source of information transfer (or even blocker) among them. The relationships in organic hazelnut producers’ communication network in the village are strong, dense and information sources are varied. On the contrary, the relationships in communication network of conventional hazelnut producers were looser, strong and information sources were uniform. The main source of technical information for both groups of producers was the experienced leader farmers; as for organic producers, the heads of the local organic producers' union was the main information source in terms of commercial, legal and organizational aspects. In other words, both organic and conventional producers rely on knowledge and experience of producers who take on the role of opinion leader within the village. Therefore, innovation and knowledge transfer to farmers can be delivered through these opinion leaders. As a result of the research, it can be said that institutional information sources do not adequately support organic and conventional hazelnut growers. Thus, organic producers developed their local knowledge source based on their on-farm trials and experiences and shared this knowledge within their peer groups. However, this information needs to be supported with scientific findings.

Comparison of Conventional and Organic Farmers on Their Socioeconomic Characteristics and Communication Behaviors

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the conventional and organic hazelnut producers for their socioeconomic characteristics, communication behavior, and their mutual relationships with other people and organizations. Two stratified samples of 56 conventional and 42 organic hazelnut farmers from Terme district of Samsun Province were recruited as the study participants. The results showed that the organic farmers have a greater tendency to become the members offarmers’ organizations such as cooperatives and unions, carry social security mostly given to government workers and medium level state officers, and use fewer loans for the farming investments as compared to the conventional farmers. In addition, the organic farmers were more aware of the Internet and they participated in different events such as conferences, congresses, and workshops. The study concludes that in order to shorten the adoption process, farmers’ organization must be contacted first and awareness raising campaigns and adoption programs must be designed accordingly

Responses of Hazelnut Trees to Organic and Conventional Managements in the Dryland

Hazelnut trees (Corylus avellana L.) give yields without any more reduction under dryland. However, it is not known how plant water status and gas exchanges response to organic management under the dryland. In an attempt to answer this question, such responses, which are leaf water potential (LWP), stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of hazelnut trees, were studied under organic and conventional managements in the dryland conditions. It was also investigated possible effects of those parameters on organic and conventional hazelnut trees vs. SWC and atmospheric stress (i. e., air vapour pressure deficit-VPD). Organic hazelnut trees had slightly higher ET and yield, and lower SWC than conventional hazelnut trees. However, generally, slightly higher LWP and gs values were obtained for conventional hazelnut trees while the value of VPD was higher in organic hazelnut orchards. LWP, PAR, gs response to SWC and VPD and relationships between each others were generally imperceptibly higher in organic hazelnut trees than conventional hazelnut trees but no stronger responses and relationships. Plant canopy measurements were mostly parallel with the results obtained values of ET, yield, SWC and VPD. Precipitation during the year influenced both hazelnut orchards managements to have higher yield and keep life alive. However, it could be emphasized that hazelnut trees under organic and conventional hazelnut managements required supplement irrigation to avoid summer water stress, and for providing fruit fulling and accumulation of reserves for the following year. Finally, it can be conclude that organic farming is a good alternative for hazelnut orchards in dryland.

The comparison of pest management information systems and communication networks for organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Samsun Province of Turkey

The main objective of this study is to compare the communication networks and information sources related to the pest management used by organic and conventional hazelnut growers in Samsun Province, Turkey. The main data were collected from hazelnut growers through survey forms, and the interviews were also conducted with the participation of information sources in the network. We used descriptive statistics to analyse the socioeconomic characteristics of organic and conventional hazelnut growers; the use of different pest management strategies and the attitudes towards pesticide use were analysed with KAP approach, and the growers’ communication networks were analysed and compared using SNA. According to the results of the study, the scores of the organic hazelnut growers were higher than the conventional hazelnut growers in terms of land size, sales price, membership to an agricultural organization and labour needs. The organic growers were leading farmers. The organic hazelnut growers shared their experiences and local knowledge among themselves. However, their local knowledge should be supported with scientific information.

Risk Attitudes of Organic and Conventional Hazelnut Producers in Turkey

ABSTRACT Understanding farmers’ attitudes and responses to agricultural risks is important for designing financial support services and effective extension activities. Risk attitudes of farmers are also one of the critical barriers for conversion to organic agriculture. Few studies have been conducted to explore and compare risk perceptions between organic and conventional farmers. The purposes of this research were to elicit and compare the risk attitudes of organic and conventional Turkish hazelnut producers and to determine the barriers additional to their risk attitudes toward conversion to organic agriculture in the Terme district of Samsun, Turkey. The Equally Likely Certainty Equivalent (ELCE) model was used to elicit responses from producers. The data used in this study were collected by using a structured questionnaire administered to both 64 randomly selected conventional hazelnut producers and all organic hazelnut producers (39) in the research area. Research results revealed that organic hazelnut producers were less risk averse than conventional producers. It was also found that the variables of education level of operators, farm income, total assets, time allocated outside the farm, farm land area, size of hazelnut orchard, number of hazelnut plots, and total information score were other barriers for conversion to organic hazelnut production, in addition to the producers’ risk attitudes. Providing better extension services and farmers’ training activities relating to organic agriculture and land consolidation, focusing on raising the educational level of producers, facilitating producers with greater access to credit to increase farm land and to enhance farm assets are factors that may accelerate the process of conversion to organic hazelnut production.

Analysis of information systems and communication networks for organic and conventional hazelnut producers in the Samsun province of Turkey

This research presents an analysis of the agricultural information systems and communication networks for organic and conventional hazelnut producers in the Samsun province of Turkey. Structured interviews were used to collect data from 64 randomly selected conventional and all 39 organic hazelnut producers living in the study area. Information systems for organic and conventional producers were found to be different. Organic producers benefited from more information sources than conventional producers. In addition, the contract farming approach to organic agriculture had initially isolated organic producers from conventional producers. Furthermore, dissatisfaction from the organic marketing company and its organic production project resulted in further separation among organic producers and led some of them to establish their own union. The lack of access to information and support from the organic project-related sources, professional institutions and mass media sources was evident. This resulted in the development of social sources to exchange information among the producers within their villages. However, this information is mainly based on traditional practices rather than scientific applications. Thus, more functional cooperation and professional communication between personal and institutional information sources are needed to enhance the diffusion of information and technology among farmers.

EXPLORING AND COMPARING RISK ATTITUDES OF ORGANIC AND NON-ORGANIC HAZELNUT PRODUCERS IN SAMSUN PROVINCE OF TURKEY

The purposes of this research were comparing the risk attitudes of organic and non-organic hazelnut producers and determining the barriers additional to their risk attitudes towards conversion to organic agriculture in Samsun province of Turkey. The Equally Likely Certainty Equivalent (ELCE) model was used based on the data collected from 64 randomly selected non-organic producers and all organic hazelnut producers (39). Research results revealed that organic hazelnut producers were more risk loving than non-organic producers. It was also found that the variables of education level of operators, farm income, total capital, time allocated outside the farm, farm land area, size of hazelnut orchard, number of hazelnut plots and total information score were other barriers for conversion to organic hazelnut production, in addition to the producers’ risk attitudes. INTRODUCTION In order to stimulate conversion to organic, there is a need for detailed information about motivation for and barriers to conversion. Policy makers should therefore focus on supporting farmers during conversion period. The risk attitudes of farmers and the risk involved in organic agriculture are often considered to be potential barriers to organic conversion. Different risk attitudes of current organic farmers may also reflect their position as innovators, implying a greater willingness to accept higher risk levels compared to non-organic farmers. Many previous studies have focused on understanding organic and non-organic farmers’ perceptions of risk and risk management (Shneeberger et al., 2002; Lien et al., 2003; Koesling et al., 2004; Lien et al., 2006) and farmers’ attitudes, preferences and goals, and their impacts on the choice of farming systems (Gardebroek, 2002; Knight et al., 2003; Flaten et al., 2004; Darnhofer et al., 2005; Archer and Kludze, 2006). However, no study has been carried out to elicit the risk attitudes of organic hazelnut producers in Turkey. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are (i) to elicit and compare risk attitudes of organic and non-organic hazelnut producers in Samsun province of Turkey, (ii) to explore the socio-economic characteristics of producers and farms associated with risk attitudes and (iii) to determine the additional barriers to producers’ risk attitudes to conversion by means of comparing risk lovers in organic and non-organic producers.

THE ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND COMMUNICATION NETWORKS FOR ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL HAZELNUT PRODUCERS IN SAMSUN PROVINCE OF TURKEY

abstract This research presents an analysis of the agricultural information systems and communication networksfor organic and conventional hazelnut producers in the Samsun province of Turkey. Structured interviewswere used to collect data from 64 randomly selected conventional and all 39 organic hazelnut producersliving in the study area. Information systems for organic and conventional producers were found to bedifferent. Organic producers benefited from more information sources than conventional producers. Inaddition, the contract farming approach to organic agriculture had initially isolated organic producersfrom conventional producers. Furthermore, dissatisfaction from the organic marketing company andits organic production project resulted in further separation among organic producers and led some ofthem to establish their own union. The lack of access to information and support from the organic pro-ject-related sources, professional institutions and mass media sources was evident. This resulted in thedevelopment of social sources to exchange information among the producers within their villages. How-ever, this information is mainly based on traditional practices rather than scientific applications. Thus,more functional cooperation and professional communication between personal and institutional infor-mation sources are needed to enhance the diffusion of information and technology among farmers. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.