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This paper raises an approach to the study of consumer behaviour and markets with a particular emphasis on agricultural commodities. It develops an analysis of demand for certain products during a recent economic recession in Spain by showing the behaviour of some of them as Giffen goods in some years. According to the theory of Giffen demand, there is a direct (positive) relationship between price and the quantity demanded. Thus, the income effect outweighs the substitution effect. The main contributions of this work can be summarized in the next three points: 1) This paper studies the consumer behaviour from a Giffen perspective, beyond a traditional and rational utility approach; 2) It also suggests a framework to analyse several socioeconomic proposals and theories related to the sustainability and Human Rights-based ethic level (intrinsic to Giffen behaviour); 3) Finally, this theory is a significant contribution to design better economic policies. The analysis of Giffen phenomenon has greater explanatory power than the classical theory of Marshall. It also helps to reveal a number of important effects that are usually ignored and that could contribute to clarify some current economic phenomena.

This paper analyses the processes of both the adoption and diffusion of no-tillage and of the type of application of herbicides among Southern Spain's olive farmers, using data from a farm survey. We estimate several probit models to identify some socio-economic and institutional factors related to the decision to use each practice of no-tillage on a regular basis and several diffusion models to describe the spatial and temporal spread of no-tillage among farmers. Our results show that no-tillage is practised by 90% of surveyed farmers either with the localised (21%) or non-localised (69%) application of herbicides. The diffusion process of no-tillage has been very intense since the mid-1990s, and has been based on the interaction among farmers in the area of study rather than on external factors. Some characteristics related to the adoption of each practice are farm size, irrigation and the continuity of the farming activity by some relative.

RESUMEN:En este trabajo se analiza el proceso de adopción del no laboreo en el olivar de la provincia de Granada utilizando información procedente de un sondeo realizado en 2005-2006 a 215 olivicultores. Se analiza en primer lugar el proceso de difusión agregada de las prácticas de no laboreo realizadas en la zona mediante la estimación de varios modelos de difusión temporal. A continuación se identifican, mediante la estimación de dos modelos probit, algunos factores que influyen en la adopción de dichas prác-ticas. Los resultados obtenidos muestran cómo las prácticas de no laboreo son realizadas por el 90% de los agricultores. Su difusión ha sido intensa desde mediados de los noventa, predominando el efecto imitación, basado en la interacción entre los agricultores de la zona, sobre otros factores externos. Algunos factores que influyen en la adopción de las diferentes prácticas de no laboreo son el regadío, la continuidad familiar de la explotación o la percepción que tiene el agricultor del problema de la erosión. PALABRAS CLAVE:Erosión, no laboreo, olivar, adopción de tecnologías, difusión de tecnologías.Clasificación JEL: Q12, Q24, C50. Adoption and diffusion of no-tillage in the olive groves of the Granada province (Spain)SUMMARY: This paper analyses the process of adoption of no-tillage in the olive groves of the Southern Spanish province of Granada. The data used comes from a survey carried out in 2005-2006 to 215 olive farmers. We first analyse the diffusion process of no-tillage practices over time by estimating several diffusion models. Then we identify some factors that determine their adoption by estimating two binomial probit models. Our results show that no-tillage is practiced by 90% of surveyed farmers. The diffusion process of no-tillage practices has been intense since the middle nineties, and has been based on the interactions among farmers in the area of study rather than influenced by other external factors. Some relevant factors that influence the adoption of no-tillage practices are irrigation, the continuity of the farming activity by some relative or farmer's perception of the soil erosion problem. KEYWORDS:Erosion, no-tillage, zero tillage, olive groves, adoption, diffusion of innovations.JEL classification: Q12, Q24, C50.