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Abstract
Sheep farming is an important agricultural activity in Greece, since it contributes highly in the country’s
gross agricultural production value. Recently, sheep milk production received further attention because of the
increased demand for feta cheese and also because of the excessive price level suffered by the consumers, in
contrast with the prices paid at the farm level. In this study, we suggest the use of multicriteria analysis to estimate
the supply response of sheep milk to price. The study focuses in the Prefecture of Etoloakarnania, located in
Western Greece, where sheep farming is a common and traditional activity. A non-interactive technique is used to
elicit farmers’ individual utility functions which are then optimized parametrically subject to technico-economic
constraints, to estimate the supply function of sheep milk. Detailed data from selected farms, representing different
farm types and management strategies, have been used in the analysis. The results indicate that the multicriteria
model reflects the actual operation of the farms more accurately than the gross margin maximization model and
therefore leads to a more robust estimation of the milk supply.