The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains

Adeyemi Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa)

doi:10.29136/mediterranean.1882669

EN TR

The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains

Abstract

Smallholder farmers in Nigeria face significant risks from climate change, market volatility, and credit constraints. Cooperative Business Model (CBM) offer a collective approach to mitigate these challenges by enhancing market access, credit availability, and risk-sharing. This study investigates the relationship between CBM, access to credit, and the choice of risk mitigation strategies among 173 agricultural value chain actors in North Central Nigeria. Using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Likert scale analysis, we find statistically significant differences in the means of CBM adoption, credit access, and risk mitigation strategies. Results highlight cooperatives’ role in promoting crop diversification, insurance uptake, and collective savings. Constraints to insurance adoption include high premiums and limited awareness. Policy recommendations emphasize institutional support for CBM and tailored financial products.

Keywords

References

Abebaw D, Haile MG (2013) The impact of cooperatives on agricultural technology adoption. Food Policy 38: 82-91.
Ahmed UM, Hassan R, Bello TA (2021) Cooperative impacts on credit accessibility among smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Finance 15(4): 45-62.
Akinola B, Obi C, Musa A (2023) Crop diversification strategies among smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Risk Management 12(1): 23-38.
Akinwumi O, Obasi I, Adewale Y (2019) Resource access and risk management among Nigerian smallholder farmers. Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Extension 12(3): 150-166.
Amikuzuno J, Nawir A, Owusu V (2018) Impact of agricultural insurance schemes on risk management in Ghana. African Agricultural Insurance Journal 6(2): 101-118.
Cao Y, Li Z, Wang X (2018) Market stability and risk management adoption among Chinese farmers. China Agricultural Economic Review 10(1): 45-65.
Ferede T, Alemu H, Bekele S (2021) Contract farming frameworks and risk mitigation strategy adoption in Ethiopia. Journal of Contract Farming Systems 3(1): 14-29.
Fischer E, Qaim M (2012) Linking smallholders to markets: Determinants and impacts of farmer collective action in Kenya. World Development 40(6): 1255-1268.

Iwasa T, Mugisha J, Kato E (2019) Cooperative credit access and investment behavior of smallholder farmers in Uganda. African Journal of Agricultural Research 14(7): 310-327.
Kehinde, A. D., & Ogundeji, A. A. (2022). The simultaneous impact of access to credit and cooperative services on cocoa productivity in South-western Nigeria. Agriculture & Food Security 11(1): 11. doi:10.1186/s40066-021-00351-4.
Khanal S, Shrestha P, Gautam L (2021) Cooperative credit as a buffer against financial shocks among Nepalese smallholders. Journal of Development Studies 37(3): 211-229.
Ma W, Abdulai A (2016) Does Cooperative Membership Improve Household Welfare? Evidence from Apple Farmers in China. Food Policy 58: 94-102. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.12.002.
Mulwa C, Wambugu F, Ndegwa D (2018) Demographic factors influencing risk management strategy adoption among Kenyan farmers. Journal of Rural Development 30(2): 99-115.
Mwambi H, Njoroge P, Otieno S (2020) Credit availability through cooperatives and value adding activities among Kenyan smallholders. International Journal of Cooperative Management 22(1): 88-105.
Olajide A, Olawoye T (2022) Resource pooling and market access for smallholder farmers: A cooperative approach. Nigerian Journal of Cooperative Studies 5(4): 101-115.
Owoeye O, Mahama M, Boateng P (2019) Access to weather information and insurance in adoption of climate smart practices in Ghana. Climate Policy Journal 8(4): 275-289.
Sibiko K, Gathuru E, Kihoro J (2021) Value chain coordination and risk mitigation strategy adoption among Kenyan cooperatives. International Journal of Value Chain Management 10(2): 55-72.
Simtowe F, Alene A, Manyong V (2017) Gender disparities in the adoption of risk management strategies in Malawi and Ethiopia. Women in Agriculture Journal 5(1): 20-37.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sustainable Agricultural Development, Agricultural Economics (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Adeyemi Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa) ^*
0000-0003-4075-1303
Nigeria

Publication Date

September 21, 2026

Submission Date

February 5, 2026

Acceptance Date

March 17, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 39

DOI

https://doi.org/10.29136/mediterranean.1882669

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA46JY38KL

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa), A. (2026). The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences, 39. https://doi.org/10.29136/mediterranean.1882669

AMA

1.Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa) A. The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences. 2026;39. doi:10.29136/mediterranean.1882669

Chicago

Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa), Adeyemi. 2026. “The Nexus Between Cooperative Business Model, Access to Credit, and Risk Mitigation Strategies in Nigeria’s Agricultural Value Chains”. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences 39 (September). https://doi.org/10.29136/mediterranean.1882669.

EndNote

Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa) A (September 1, 2026) The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences 39

IEEE

[1]A. Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa), “The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains”, Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences, vol. 39, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.29136/mediterranean.1882669.

ISNAD

Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa), Adeyemi. “The Nexus Between Cooperative Business Model, Access to Credit, and Risk Mitigation Strategies in Nigeria’s Agricultural Value Chains”. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences 39 (September 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.29136/mediterranean.1882669.

JAMA

1.Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa) A. The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences. 2026;39. doi:10.29136/mediterranean.1882669.

MLA

Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa), Adeyemi. “The Nexus Between Cooperative Business Model, Access to Credit, and Risk Mitigation Strategies in Nigeria’s Agricultural Value Chains”. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences, vol. 39, Sept. 2026, doi:10.29136/mediterranean.1882669.

Vancouver

1.Adeyemi Ayinde-Olawale (nee Omonıwa). The nexus between cooperative business model, access to credit, and risk mitigation strategies in Nigeria’s agricultural value chains. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences. 2026 Sep. 1;39. doi:10.29136/mediterranean.1882669

The author(s) must comply with the ethical rules of science and scientific publications (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and Committee on Publication Ethics). The journal is not responsible for these issues.

Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as ‘submitting as one’s own work, irrespective of intent to deceive, that which derives in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. It is both poor scholarship and a breach of academic integrity.
Examples of plagiarism include copying (using another person’s language and/or ideas as if they are one’s own), by:
• quoting verbatim another person’s work without due acknowledgement of the source;
• paraphrasing another person’s work by changing some of the words, or the order of the words, without due acknowledgement of the source; • using ideas taken from someone else without reference to the originator;
• cutting and pasting from the Internet to make a pastiche of online sources;
• submitting someone else’s work as part of one’s own without identifying clearly who did the work. For example, not attributing research contributed by others to a joint project.
Plagiarism might also arise from colluding with another person who has not been declared or acknowledged (i.e. where collaboration is concealed or has been forbidden). Work should include a general acknowledgement where it has received substantial help, for example with the language and style of a piece of written work.
Plagiarism can occur in respect to all types of sources and media, including:
• text, illustrations, musical quotations, mathematical derivations, computer code, etc.;
• material downloaded from websites or drawn from manuscripts or other media;
• published and unpublished material, including lectures, presentations and grey literature.
Mediterr Agric Sci do not tolerate plagiarism in any of submitted manuscripts. Although a plagiarism document is requested from the authors during the first submission, we reserve the right to check all submissions through appropriate plagiarism checking tools. Submissions containing suspected plagiarism, in whole or part, will be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered post publication, we will follow our guidance outlined in the Retractions, Corrections and Expressions of Concern section of these guidelines. We expect our readers, reviewers and editors to raise any suspicions of plagiarism, either by contacting the relevant editor or by emailing ziraat@akdeniz.edu.tr.

Research with Humans or Animals
Research involving humans or animals should be approved by relevant ethics committee(s) and should conform to international ethical and legal standards for research. We also expect authors to respect human participants’ right to privacy, and to gain any necessary consent to publish before submitting to us. For information on whether authors are required to submit or include evidence regarding the above, please consult journal submission guidelines or contact the journal editorial board.

Studies that require the approval of the Ethics Committee are as follows.
All kinds of research conducted with qualitative or quantitative approaches that require data collection from the participants by using survey, interview, focus group work, observation, experiment and interview techniques.
Use of humans and animals (including material/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes,
Clinical studies on humans,
Studies on animals,
Retrospective studies in accordance with the personal data protection law,
In addition;
Stating that an “informed consent form” was taken in case reports,
Obtaining and specifying permission from the owners for the use of scales, questionnaires, photographs belonging to others,
Statement that copyright regulations are complied with for the intellectual and artistic works used.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding
Mediterr Agric Sci asks authors to declare any potential conflicts of interest that could interfere with the objectivity or integrity of a publication in the declaration section. Conflicts of interest are situations that could be perceived to exert an undue influence on the presentation, review and publication of a piece of work. These may be financial, non-financial, professional, contractual or personal in nature. We also expect that anyone who suspects an undisclosed conflict of interest regarding a work published or under consideration by Mediterr Agric Sci should inform the relevant editor email ziraat@akdeniz.edu.tr. In addition to a conflicts of interest declaration, a funding declaration is required for the authors in the declaration section in the title page.

Retractions, Corrections and Expressions of Concern
Mediterr Agric Sci’s editors will consider retractions, corrections or expressions of concern in line with Retraction Guidelines of The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). If an author is found to have made an error, the journal will issue a corrigendum. If the journal is found to have made an error, they will issue an erratum. Retractions are usually reserved for articles that are so seriously flawed that their findings or conclusions should not be relied upon. Journals that publish Accepted Manuscripts may make minor changes such as those which would likely occur during typesetting or proofreading, but any substantive corrections will be carried out in line with COPE’s Retraction Guidelines. If someone raises a legal, ethical or security concern about a paper published in Mediterr Agric Sci, we would inform the author(s) and editor(s) involved. Our next step would be to investigate the concern and, if appropriate, address it through dialogue or negotiation with any third parties involved or by referring it to a relevant institution for investigation. If the concern relates to the integrity or accuracy of the content itself, we would consider issuing a correction, or a retraction and withdrawal from sale. Where any content is retracted, we would do so in a way that still preserves the integrity of the academic record and of other affiliated works (for example, other volumes in a series). This includes maintaining any associated metadata and, if legally possible, the abstract. We also participate in CrossMark; a multi-publisher initiative to provide a standard way for readers to locate the current version of a piece of content, view any changes that have occurred, and access additional information about that publication record.

Falsification, Fabrication and Image Manipulation
Where research data are collected or presented as images, modifying these images can sometimes misrepresent the results obtained or their significance. We recognise that there can be legitimate reasons for modifying images, but we expect authors to avoid modifying images where this leads to the falsification, fabrication, or misrepresentation of their results.

Fraudulent Research and Research Misconduct
Where we are made aware of fraudulent research or research misconduct by a Mediterr Agric Sci author, our first concern is the integrity of content we have published. We work with the relevant editor(s), COPE, and other appropriate institutions or organizations, to investigate. Any publication found to include fraudulent results will be retracted, or an appropriate correction or expression of concern will be issued. Please see the Retractions, Corrections and Expressions of Concern section of these guidelines for more information.

Transparency
Mediterr Agric Sci strives to follow COPE’s Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and encourage our publishing partners to uphold these same principles.

Data and Supporting Evidence
We support transparency and openness around data, code, and other materials associated with research. We expect authors to maintain accurate records of supporting evidence necessary to allow others to understand, verify, and replicate new findings, and to supply or provide access to this supporting evidence, on reasonable request. Where appropriate and where allowed by employer, funding body or others who might have an interest, we encourage authors to deposit data in a suitable repository or storage location, for sharing and further use by others. Mediterr Agric Sci aims to provide authors with the ability to connect supporting data with their manuscripts, either on our own platform or through third party services. Please contact the journal for information on their transparency requirements.

Integrity of Record
We maintain a record of the existence of everything we publish with information (metadata) describing each publication. If our content is deemed not to comply with the laws of a sovereign nation, we make every effort to ensure the metadata remain accessible within that jurisdiction. Where we are obliged to alter the publication record in any way, such as in the case of research misconduct leading to retraction of a publication, we preserve the academic record as far possible. See the Retractions, Corrections and Expressions of Concern of these guidelines for information about how we do this.

Open Access Policy
Mediterr Agric Sci is a completely free, international peer-reviewed journal with open access. It does not charge article processing fees (evaluation fees or printing fees) and subscription fees for accessing articles.

Privacy Statement
Personal information such as names and e-mail addresses entered in the management system of Mediterr Agric Sci will be used only for the scientific purposes of this journal. This information will not be used for any other purpose or section and will not be shared with third parties.

Archiving
All articles published in Mediterr Agric Sci are stored and presented on ULAKBİM servers in pdf format through the TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM Life Sciences Database. Likewise, there is a copy of all the published articles in DergiPark (www.dergipark.org.tr).

Sponsorship and Advertising
Mediterr Agric Sci does not accept sponsorship and advertising in terms of publishing policies.

Copyright Transfer
Manuscripts submitted to Mediterr Agric Sci for publication should be original work that has not previously been published in any way or that has not been submitted for publication elsewhere.
Authors agree to waive the copyright of their work and submit the copyright of their work to Mediterr Agric Sci upon submission for evaluation.
The Editorial Board of Mediterr Agric Sci is authorized to publish the article. Authors who will send a work to Mediterr Agric Sci should fill in the "Copyright Transfer Form". The author (s) must sign the completed form with a wet signature. By scanning the signed form, uploading additional files in the 3rd of the work submission steps through the system option. The works of authors who do not submit the Copyright Transfer Form are not published.

Fair double-blind peer-review and Evaluation Process
Blind peer-review is a method used for the publication of scientific publications with the highest quality. This method is the basis of the objective evaluation of scientific studies and is preferred by many scientific journals.
The opinions of the peer reviewers have a decisive role in the publication quality of Mediterr Agric Sci. All studies submitted to Mediterr Agric Sci are evaluated through blanking according to the following stages.
Mediterr Agric Sci uses the double-blind method in the evaluation process of all studies. In the double-blind method, the author and peer reviewer identities of the studies are hidden.

Initial Evaluation Process
The articles submitted to Mediterr Agric Sci are first evaluated by the editors. At this stage, studies that do not meet the aim and scope of the journal, which are weak in terms of language and expression rules in English, that contain scientifically critical errors, have no original value and do not meet the publication policies are rejected. Authors of rejected studies are notified within two weeks of the submission date. Appropriate studies are sent to a Associate Editor for preliminary evaluation.

Preliminary Evaluation Process
In the pre-evaluation process, the Associate Editor examine the introduction, materials and methods, findings, conclusions, evaluation and discussion sections in detail in terms of journal publication policies and scope and originality. Not eligible as a result of this review, the studies are returned within 4 weeks at the latest with the evaluation report of the Associate Editor.

Arbitration Process
The works are sent to the peer reviewers according to their content and peer reviewer’s specialties. The Associate Editor, who reviewed the study, proposes at least two peer reviewers from the peer reviewer pool of Mediterr Agric Sci, or new peer reviewers appropriate to the area of the study. The suggestions of the peer reviewers are evaluated by the Accociate Editors and the works are forwarded to the authors for revision. The peer reviewers have guarantee that they will not share the document someone else.

Peer reviewer Evaluation Process
Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences has an external peer review process. The time given to the peer reviewers is 4 weeks. Corrections from peer reviewers or editors must be completed by the authors within 1 month. Peer reviewers may review the corrections of a study to determine its suitability or may request multiple corrections if necessary.

Evaluation Result
The opinions of the peer reviewers are reviewed by the Associate Editor within 2 weeks at the latest. As a result of this review, the Associate Editor communicates the final decision on the work to the editors (Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor).

Decision of the Editorial Board
The editors prepare the opinions of the editorial board based on the opinions of the Associate Editor and the peer reviewers. The opinions prepared are forwarded by the Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor to the author (s) within 1 week at the latest, together with the suggestions of the Associate Editor and the peer reviewers. In this process, studies with negative opinions are returned.

Article Submission
The author (s) who will send a study to be evaluated in Mediterr Agric Sci can submit a membership to the journal management system at https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/mediterranean.
If the author (s) notices a misstatement or error related to the works published or under evaluation, the Associate Editor and the author(s) have an obligation to cooperate for the withdrawal of work.

Withdrawal of Articles
The author (s) wishing to request a withdrawal of his / her work during the evaluation phase are obliged to forward the petition containing the request for withdrawal of the article, signed and scanned with the signature of each author, to the editorial board via ziraat@akdeniz.edu.tr via e-mail. The Editorial Board reviews the withdrawal notification and returns within one week at the latest. Authors cannot send their manuscript to another journal for evaluation unless the request for withdrawal of the works whose copyrights have been transferred by the editorial board of Mediterr Agric Sci is submitted.

Editors
Mediterr Agric Sci board; in case of suspicion of copyright and plagiarism regarding a work published or under evaluation, it is obliged to initiate an investigation of the work.
In the event that the editorial board determines that copyright and plagiarism have been made in the evaluation process as a result of the investigation, it withdraws the study from the evaluation and returns the identified cases to the authors in detail.
If the editorial board determines that a copyrighted or plagiarism has been committed in a published or published work, it shall perform the following withdrawal and notification procedures within one week at the latest.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES and POLICIES
Publication Ethics. The publication processes used Mediterr Agric Sci are the basis for the development and dissemination of information in an impartial and respectable manner. The processes applied in this direction are directly reflected in the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions supporting the authors.
Peer reviewed studies are the studies that embody and support the scientific method. At this point, it is important that all stakeholders of the process (authors, readers and researchers, publishers, peer reviewers and editors) comply with standards for ethical principles. Within the scope of the publication ethics of Mediterr Agric Sci, all stakeholders are expected to bear the following ethical responsibilities.
The ethical duties and responsibilities set out below are based on guidelines and policies published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as open access.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
The author (s) submitting works to Mediterr Agric Sci are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
• The works submitted by the author (s) are expected to be original. If the author (s) make use of or use other studies, they must cite and / or cite in a complete and accurate manner.
• People who do not contribute intellectually to the content of the study should not be mentioned as authors.
• The situations and relationships of any work submitted for publication that may constitute a conflict of interest should be explained.
• Raw data of the manuscripts may be requested from the author (s) within the framework of the evaluation process, in which case the author (s) should be prepared to submit the expected data and information to the editorial board and the scientific committee.
• The author (s) must have a document showing that they have the rights to use the data used, that they have the necessary permissions for the research / analysis, or that the consent of the test subjects has been obtained.
• The author (s) have an obligation to cooperate with the editor to inform, correct or withdraw the editor or publisher if he / she discovers a mistake or error related to his / her published, printed or evaluation work.
• Authors cannot keep their work in the application process of more than one journal at the same time. Each application may be initiated following the completion of the previous application. The study published in another journal cannot be sent to the Mediterr Agric Sci.
• It is not possible to change the author responsibilities (such as adding author, changing the order of author, removing the author) of a study that has started the evaluation process.

Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
The editors and Associate Editors of Mediterr Agric Sci have the following ethical duties and on the basis of the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and Practice COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) should have responsibilities:

Relations with the readers
Editors should make decisions based on the knowledge, skills and experience expectations of all readers, researchers and practitioners. To contribute the published works to readers, researchers, practitioners and scientific literature and to be original should pay attention. In addition, editors are obliged to take into account the feedback from readers, researchers and practitioners, and to provide explanatory and informative feedback.

Relations with authors
The duties and responsibilities of the editors against the authors are as follows:
• Editors should make positive or negative decisions based on the importance, original value, validity, clarity of expression, and the objectives and objectives of the journal.
• The studies that are in compliance with the publication scope should be taken to the pre-evaluation stage unless there is a serious problem.
• Editors should not ignore favorable peer reviewer proposals unless there is a serious problem with the work.
• New editors should not change the decisions made by the previous editor (s) for the work, unless there is a serious problem.
• "Blind Judging and Evaluation Process" must be published and editors should avoid deviations from the defined processes.
• Editors should publish an Author's Guide that includes every topic that is expected by the authors in detail. These guides should be updated periodically.
• Authors should be provided with explanatory and informative notification and return.

Relations with Peer Reviewer’s
The duties and responsibilities of editors against peer reviewers are as follows:
• designate the peer reviewers according to the subject of the study.
• It is obliged to provide the information and guides that the peer reviewers need during the evaluation phase.
• The authors and peer reviewers have to observe whether there is a conflict of interest.
• In the context of blanking arbitration, the peer reviewer’s identity information should be kept confidential.
• Encourage peer reviewers to consider working in an objective, scientific and objective language.
• Evaluate the peer reviewers with criteria such as timely return and performance.
• Develop policies and practices to improve the performance of peer reviewers.
• Take the necessary steps to dynamically update the peer reviewer pool.
• Prevent disrespectful and unscientific assessments.
• Take steps to ensure that the peer reviewer pool is composed of a wide range.

Relations with editorial board
Editors should ensure that all editorial board members proceed with the publication policies and guidelines. The editorial board should inform its members about the publication policies and keep them informed of developments. New editorial board members educate, provide the information they need.

Relations with magazine owner and publisher
The relationship between editors and publisher is based on the principle of editorial independence. As per the written agreement between the editors and the publisher, all decisions of the editors are independent of the publisher and the journal owner.
Editorial and blind arbitration processes
Editors; The journal is obliged to implement the "Blind Arbitration and Evaluation Process" policies in the publication policies. In this context, the editors ensure that the fair, impartial and timely evaluation of each work is completed.
Quality assurance
Editors; is responsible for the publication of each article published in the journal in accordance with journal publishing policies and international standards.

Protection of personal data
Editors; and to ensure the protection of personal data relating to the subjects or visuals involved in the studies evaluated. Unless the express consent of the individuals used in the studies is documented, it is responsible for rejecting the study. In addition, editors; The author is responsible for protecting the individual data of the peer reviewers and readers.

Ethics committee, human and animal rights
Editors; to ensure the protection of human and animal rights in the studies evaluated. Ethics committee approval of the subjects used in the studies is responsible for rejecting the study in the absence of permission for experimental research.

Measure against possible abuse and misconduct
Editors; is obliged to take measures against possible misconduct and misconduct. In addition to conducting a rigorous and objective investigation into the identification and evaluation of complaints, the editor is also responsible for sharing findings.

Protection of intellectual property rights
Editors; to protect the intellectual property rights of all published articles and to defend the rights of journal and author (s) in case of possible violations. In addition, editors are required to ensure that the content of all published articles does not infringe the intellectual property rights of other publications.
measures.

Complaints
Editors; The author is obliged to examine the complaints coming from the peer reviewers or readers carefully and to respond in an illuminating and explanatory manner.

Political and Commercial Concerns
The owner, publisher and any other political and commercial elements do not affect the independent decision-making of the editors.

Ethical Responsibilities of Peer reviewers
The evaluation of all studies with "Blinding Peer reviewer" directly affects the quality of the publication. This process provides confidence through objective and independent evaluation of the publication. The evaluation process of Mediterr Agric Sci is carried out with the principle of double-blinded arbitration.
The peer reviewers cannot contact the authors directly. Reviews and comments are communicated through the journal management system. In this process, peer reviewer comments on evaluation forms and full texts are forwarded to the author (s) through the editor. In this context, peer reviewers evaluating the work for Mediterr Agric Sci are expected to have the following ethical responsibilities:
• Only work related to the field of expertise should accept the evaluation.
• Evaluate in neutrality and confidentiality.
• If he thinks that he is facing a conflict of interest during the evaluation process, he should refuse to review the study and inform the journal editor.
• Dispose of the studies they review in accordance with the principle of confidentiality after the evaluation process. They can only use the final versions of the studies they have reviewed after they are published.
• Evaluate objectively in relation to the content of the study. Nationality should not allow gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs and commercial concerns to influence assessment.
• Evaluate in a constructive and gentle language. Do not make humiliating personal comments that include hostility, slander and insult.
• Carry out the work they accept to evaluate in a timely manner and with the above ethical responsibilities.

Conflicts of interest
Editors; it ensures that the publication of the manuscripts is completed independently and impartially, taking into account conflicts of interest between the author (s), the peer reviewers and other editors.

Plagiarism Control
A plagiarism document is requested from the authors during the first submission; however, the journal reserves the right to check all submissions after peer-reviewing process through appropriate plagiarism checking tools. In accordance with the publication ethics of Mediterr Agric Sci, it is obligatory that plagiarism audits are carried out in order to protect the integrity of all studies that have passed through the Blind Arbitration Assessment Process ". Within this scope, a copy of each study is subject to plagiarism control by a company approved by the editorial board. The material responsible for the audit belongs to the author (s). Plagiarism is controlled by Turnitin and iThenticate software. Each work is analyzed in-depth by means of software, and the matching and citation matches are extracted. The remaining matches are examined and the errors are detected and reported to the editorial board. The editorial board makes the final decision about the study in the light of the plagiarism audit report of each study. Errors in the report may be requested to be corrected by the authors or the work may be returned to the authors.

Bibliography, Submission and Citation Control
Scientific research is based on previous studies. In the studies conducted, reference is made to the previous studies within the framework of certain rules and references. Mistakes made intentionally or unknowingly in scientific studies undermine the reliability of the study and publication. Mediterr Agric Sci sees it as imperative that accurate and complete references and citations are accepted as a result of the evaluation. Within this scope, after each work is accepted, a bibliography, sending and citation control is carried out by the editorial board. The material responsibility for the control carried out belongs to the author (s).
The bibliography, submission and citation control of accepted studies are carried out for the full text in the following steps:
• Bibliography is prepared in accordance with the procedures and principles contained in the Intructions for Authors section of the journal.
• It is checked whether the references in the text of each reference in the bibliography are given according to the procedures and principles, and the wrong ones are corrected.
• References to in-text references are checked. The missing ones are requested from the authors and the wrong ones are corrected. Procedures and principles of references for full text are taken into consideration.

Layout and Typesetting
Mediterr Agric Sci requires the uniformity of the articles, their readability and the standard and uniform print format required by the standards. In this context, plagiarism audit and bibliography editing are completed by the Editorial Board. The responsibility for the checking of the galleyproofs rests with the author (s).

Giving the DOI Number
The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique access number that allows the identification and access of each published work electronically. A DOI number is mandatory for each study published in Mediterr Agric Sci. Plagiarism audit, bibliography check and print version are prepared by the editorial board after the acceptance stage.