Life Satisfaction and French Organic Farmers

Abstract: We examine the relationship between organic farming and subjective well-being or life satisfaction. Applying an ordered probit model to a sample of French farmers located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) area (Southeast), we find that organic farmers report higher levels of life satisfaction, compared to the conventional ones. Moreover, this positive relationship holds for both recently-converted and earlier-converted farmers. Our findings also show that subjective well-being is positively associated with income, profitability, satisfaction at work, social recognition, and good health.

Reference: Mzoughi, N. (2014). Do organic farmers feel happier than conventional ones? An exploratory analysis. Ecological Economics 103: 38-43. Available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.04.015