African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6786

Full Length Research Paper

Perceptions and clustering of Greek farmers on the new CAP: Opportunity or threat?

George Theodossiou
  • George Theodossiou
  • Department of Business Administration, Tei of Thessaly School of Business and Economics, TK 41110 Larissa, Greece.
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Christos Karelakis
  • Christos Karelakis
  • Department of Agricultural Development, School of Geotechnical and Forestry Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece.
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Apostolos Goulas
  • Apostolos Goulas
  • Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
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  •  Received: 02 November 2017
  •  Accepted: 18 January 2018
  •  Published: 08 March 2018

Abstract

This study aims to highlight the problems of the Greek agriculture and to identify the level of information that the farmers have regarding the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Here, primary data were collected from in-depth interviews (structured questionnaire) with 241 farmers in the region of Thessaly-Greece. The study was conducted in November 2016, within the geographical boundaries of the Region of Thessaly. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics, the non-parametric Friedman test, Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis. The results indicate that Greek farmers are not adequately informed about the CAP. The research findings showed that Greece requires an agricultural sector that will also be eco-friendly, producing high added value products. These factors are important and could become the country's comparative advantage. The innovation of the study lies in the fact that the survey was conducted in a highly representative Greek rural prefecture, investigating the farmer's information level as it concerns the CAP policy schemes.
 
 
Key words: Common agricultural policy, agricultural sector, agricultural production, Thessaly, Greece.