No abstract

Management and utilization of factors of production, in addition to diversification of land use, affect the performance of farms. In this article, it is identified whether the diversification of land use through its disposal to tourism infrastructure has a positive impact on the farms’ income. This identification was conducted by processing technical and economic data and applying bootstrap regression analysis. The research was conducted using a sample of 56 farms active in hospitality alongside agriculture, utilizing possibly uncultivated areas of land. Data collection was carried out by personal visits to the examined farms. The results showed that the performance of the farms is enhanced by tourism activity. At the same time, the results showed that land used for tourism activities has a positive impact on farms’ income. Paid labor also appears to have a positive influence. Although this investigation was executed in the Region of Central Macedonia (Greece), it contributes to strengthening the existing literature on rural tourism and land use. At the same time, it gives alternatives to policy-makers and owner-managers of farms regarding the utilization of the available factors of production with an emphasis on the land one.

Technical efficiency is considered a useful advisory tool for managers whose main goal is to maximize profit and minimize costs. Data envelopment analysis is a widely accepted methodology for technical efficiency estimation in the sector of agriculture. For that reason and with the view to extract useful conclusions regarding farmers’ effective management of inputs, this study aims to present the DEA method through its implementation in a set of farms located in the regional unit of Pieria. To conduct this analysis, relevant data were collected through a survey in which 40 farms participated. The output variable was chosen to be each farm’s total amount of sales, while the inputs were selected in a way to represent the main factors of production, such as (1) land in acres, (2) labor in hours, and (3) variable costs in EUR. The results showed that the examined farms need to reduce the inputs used by 34.6% to operate more efficiently from the point of view of the CRS model. Therefore, farmers should be motivated to reduce the inputs used, something that can be done through the provision of specialized advisory services. This will, of course, be helped by both the local authorities and the policies of the country in which the rational use of inputs seems to be necessary. This study may contribute to the relevant literature, agriculture, and the area since management suggestions are formulated for the farmers of Pieria’s regional unit.