Search

This paper addresses a current issue regarding the increasing problem of a decreasing cattle population in the Polish Carpathians. The problem exacerbated after 1990, as a result of changes in prices of the means of production and agricultural products. It intensified even further after Poland joined the EU. The decrease in cattle population is observed in all districts in the Carpathians. This article includes a diagnosis of four such districts: two with the highest decrease (Łańcut: -67.0% and Sucha: -52.6%) and two with the smallest decrease in cattle population (Bieszczdy: -8.1% and Wadowice: -11.5%). Expert assessments were used to this end. The article includes a definition and analysis of the deanimalisation process and an indication of the consequences of this process in agriculture, in the local environment and in the broadly understood ecological context. It follows from the research that favourable natural conditions, good for breeding ruminants, largely determine high cattle density but, at the same time, these conditions do not impact the decrease in the cattle population to such an extent. The decrease is related to the low concentration of herds, generational changes and the disappearance of local dairy markets. As a result of progressing deanimalisation, abandoned meadows and pastures, as well as part of arable lands, are being permanently lost. Instead, these lands become overgrown with invasive plant species and shrubbery.

The aim of the study is to broaden the definition of the added-value concept in agriculture and in rural areas. To start, reference was made to the location of this concept in relation to the economics of agriculture and then to the various processes that occur or should occur in rural areas creating or conditioning the expected positive effects, which were called the Value-added. Then, the creation of added value in the agricultural supply chain was analyzed with an old and new approach to its creation. The case analysis was conducted for the "Owoc Łącki" company, which assessed the ways of creating added value and the form of integration of fruit producers. The effect of the analysis is the multiplicity and diversity of defining and describing conditions for the creation of added value. The presented examples, practices and approaches in increasing the added value can be an inspiration for advisors, especially farmers looking for new business models, thus increasing their income. / Synopsis. Celem opracowania jest próba poszerzenia sposobu definiowania pojęcia wartości dodanej w rolnictwie i na obszarach wiejskich, głównie w oparciu o literaturę przedmiotu. W pierwszej kolejności odniesiono się do usytuowania tego pojęcia w kontekście ekonomii rolnictwa, a następnie różnych procesów, które zachodzą lub zachodzić powinny na obszarach wiejskich, kreując lub warunkując oczekiwane, pozytywne efekty, które nazwano wartością dodaną. Następnie przeanalizowano tworzenie wartości dodanej w rolniczym łańcuchu dostaw, mając na uwadze stare i nowe podejście do jej tworzenia. Analizę przypadku przeprowadzono dla spółki „Owoc Łącki” i poddano ocenie sposoby tworzenia wartości dodanej i formę integracji producentów owoców. Efektem analizy jest przedstawienie wielości i różnorodności definiowania oraz opisu uwarunkowań tworzenia wartości dodanej. Zaprezentowane przykłady, praktyki i podejścia w podnoszeniu wartości dodanej stanowić mogą inspirację dla doradców, a zwłaszcza rolników poszukujących nowych modeli biznesowych, by zwiększyć w ten sposób swoje dochody., DOI: 10.22630/PRS.2018.18.2.39

In this paper there have been presented the results of research, which was conducted in 2016 and covered 24 selected communes, located in 6 districts, in the area of Malopolska province. The aim of the study was to diagnose and evaluate the condition of agriculture in the aspect of advancement of deagrarianisation process. Thus, there was analysed the emotional attitude of farmers towards their land, advancement of prosesses of its abandonment and the share of the farms without the livestock. Special consideration was showed for the structure of contribution of particular farm categories in terms of their developement, which was analysed according to following categories: developing farms, farms with some features of development, farms in recession and declining farms. Accumulated estimation of the condition of the farms’ development showed that in analysed districts of Malopolska province even 60% of all farms are recessive. However, the differentiation between particular districts is very extensive.

Dokonano analizy wybranej grupy producentów owoców i warzyw w zakresie uzyskania odpowiedzi na trzy kluczowe pytania badawcze: co jest innowacją w badanej grupie, w jaki sposób kreowana jest tam wartość dodana i w jaki sposób ta grupa oddziałuje na lokalną społeczność wiejską. Wybór tej organizacji do badań był celowy, na podstawie takich kryteriów, jak: innowacyjność organizacji, unikalność rozwiązania oraz współpraca z ODR. Dane źródłowe uzyskano metodą wywiadu bezpośredniego przeprowadzonego z przedstawicielami zarządu. Stwierdzono, że badana grupa stanowi w województwie małopolskim unikatowy przykład integracji pionowej „w przód” oraz przechwytywania wartości dodanej z rynku przez wyeliminowanie wszystkich pośredników. Stanowi model biznesowy, który obejmuje cały łańcuch dostaw, tj. od pola do półki sklepowej. Wysoka jakość produktów i duże ich zróżnicowanie pozwala na osiąganie wysokich dochodów oraz inwestowanie w dalszy rozwój. Grupa stworzyła nowe miejsca pracy w lokalnym środowisku, upowszechnia dobre praktyki sadownicze, produkcyjne i przetwórcze oraz przez podatki i sponsoring przyczynia się do rozwoju ekonomicznego społeczności lokalnej.

This analysis touches upon an evaluation and estimation of the potential of communes in Małopolska voivodeship in terms of energetic use of plant biomass. The research results showed that if biomass, in the form of straw and hay not used in agriculture and willow (salix) cultivated on lands out of agricultural production, was marked for energetic aims, the generation of about 8.3 PJ of energy would be possible. It was also pinpointed that within the group of communes with the highest potential of hay and willow for energetic use (25% of communes), environmental (the quality of production space) and economic factors (the area structure, and confi guration, etc.) will hinder the development of the biomass market. The same conditions which contributed to the regress of agriculture are seen as an obstacle to eff ective and profi table biomass production. The only real opportunity for development of the biomass market is seen in straw, which can be acquired in communes with the best natural and economic conditions.

Mineral fertilizers are considered to be a driving force for production in the present day agriculture. In Poland, from among 2.5 mln tons of compound mineral fertilizers, expressed in a pure ingredient, above 2 mln tons is used in domestic agriculture. Since 1992 has been a growing tendency in the usage of such fertilizers. The main aim of this analysis is to present multifarious forecasts concerning the use of mineral fertilizers in Poland in 2014–2025. Three ways of building a future prediction have been used in the conducted research: extrapolation, adaptation and causal prediction. The analyses pinpoint that till 2025 the estimated growth in the use of mineral fertilizers is going to fl uctuate around 9–23.5% in comparison with the average score in 2010–2013. It is important to mention that in the most probable and sustainable scenario of a transformation in agriculture, this growth is going to amount to about 15%.

Disagrarization processes are multi-faceted and complex. They concern both production changes, as well as economic, ecological and socio-cultural transformations. The paper discusses the problem of disagrarization production, which consists mainly of abandonment by farmers using agricultural land, abandonment of production and limiting capital investments. Based on studies carried out in 39 communes of the Małopolska and Świętokrzyskie Provinces fund, that the status advancement of disagrarization process provide a high proportion of farms without animals production (about 66%), farms fallowing agricultural land (about 18%) and high share of wasteland in the structure of agriculture land in the commune (about 10%). At the same time, in analysed teritorial units was noted high share of nonprogressive and declining farms

This paper examines the problem of fluctuations in the prices of main agricultural products such as cereals, potatoes, sugar beet and oilseed in the period 1989-2012. The paper presents the changes in prices of major agricultural products in constant price term from 2012. Results show, that after 1989 was a sharp decline in the prices of almost all basic agricultural products. In the least he concerned the rape and the slaughter livestock veal, in the reference to which a rise in prices was recorded in 1990. In the period of examinations were recorded a few price bottoms and hills, including the biggest hole taking place in 1991, in which the government took multifaceted action stabilizing prices of outputs among others by the central import and enabling the individual transport of ready food. The essential slump of prices of outputs took place also in years of the strong economic recession in 2009 and 2010, which the return to upturns was taken note after.

This paper examines the problem of fluctuations in the prices of main agricultural products such as cereals, potatoes, sugar beet and oilseed in the period 1989-2012. The paper presents the changes in prices of major agricultural products in constant price term from 2012. Results show, that after 1989 was a sharp decline in the prices of almost all basic agricultural products. In the least he concerned the rape and the slaughter livestock veal, in the reference to which a rise in prices was recorded in 1990. In the period of examinations were recorded a few price bottoms and hills, including the biggest hole taking place in 1991, in which the government took multifaceted action stabilizing prices of outputs among others by the central import and enabling the individual transport of ready food. The essential slump of prices of outputs took place also in years of the strong economic recession in 2009 and 2010, which the return to upturns was taken note after.