Global agricultural production is dynamic and complex as various factors impact it. Understanding global agricultural production systems and farmers’ decisions requires an internationally standardized and scientifically sound approach. The agribenchmark Network is a global, non-profit network of producers and agricultural experts which aims to analyze and understand the key drivers of current and future trends and developments in global agriculture. The Network combines its in-depth knowledge of production systems with its expertise in analyzing international commodity markets and value chains to provide scientifically sound advice to policymakers, producers and agribusinesses. This paper details the agribenchmark Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which is the step-by-step method of establishing typical farm information and quantifying their data. The paper also illustrates how the typical farm approach is applied by the agribenchmark Network to analyze and understand global agriculture, production systems and adaptation strategies. The paper provides examples of how the Network applies the approach in analyzing the status-quo of production systems, benchmarking, practice change analysis and policy analysis. The paper concludes that although the typical farm approach and the institutional settings (agri benchmark) present some limitations, the approach and the Network provide comprehensive, consistent and coherent data on farm economics.

Despite the economic benefits of organic farming, the conversion rates to this production method are low. The reasons for this reluctance are largely unknown; however, understanding this behavior is important for policy recommendations. Therefore, we experimentally investigate and compare the investment behavior of organic and conventional hog farmers. We examine whether the investment behavior depends on the organic or conventional farmers’ status quo of their production method. Our results show that farmers are more reluctant to invest in production methods they are not currently using compared with those already in use on their farm. Conventional, more risk-averse farmers, and those farmers holding a university degree, invest later in a hog barn. The results provide evidence that investment decisions depend on the status quo production method of a farmer and, thus, reveal that current subsidy structures may be ineffective in encouraging farmers to invest in production methods they are not currently using on their farms.

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