Using a panel of French crop farms, we test whether farmers' technical efficiency (TE) under conventional practices is a significant driver of the conversion to organic farming. We find that the probability of conversion depends on the TE preceding the conversion, but that the direction of the...

Cet article présente les résultats d’une enquête récente conduite auprès de 307 producteurs laitiers et 99 producteurs de légumes de l’ouest de la France. Cette enquête a porté à la fois sur des agriculteurs pratiquant une agriculture conventionnelle et sur des agriculteurs...

Organic farming covers just 3.5% of the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in France (2011 Agence Bio figures). Sales statistics show that a mere 2.3% of the French food market came from organic farming in 2008. The French government’s Environment Forum (“Grenelle de...

Using a panel of French crop farms, we test whether farmers’ technical efficiency under conventional practices is a significant driver of conversion to organic farming. An important issue is whether subsidies to organic farming could encourage inefficient farmers to convert. We find that the...