<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The present paper focuses on farmers’ strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm resilience, which underlines the role of capacity and abilities as well as different actions undertaken in difficult situations, this study proposes an analytical framework of farmers’ coping short-term micro-strategies in relation to external crises, on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account academic literature, qualitative data gathered from fruit and vegetable producers in different regions in Poland and the information from sector experts, the paper outlines the varied consequences of the pandemic for farms, and also farmers’ diverse reactions to them. The findings from this study suggests that the analysed farms’ relative resilience to the crisis was achieved thanks to their available economic and social resources and the actions they undertook. The above-mentioned resources and activities were considered in the study primarily using the relational (process-based) approach, focusing on the ways of their creation, maintenance and adaptation. At the same time, the empirical material under analysis has shown that the adaptive measures adopted were short-term and did not respond to the farms’ permanent problems, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significantly. It is assumed that presented results and proposed framework of farmers’ micro-strategies, which were taken during the pandemic, might be useful for future studies focusing on various external shocks as well as for research to be conducted in other CEE countries due to many common contextual factors that has shaped food practices and institutional arrangements.</p>
</abstract>

The present paper focuses on farmers’ strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm resilience, which underlines the role of capacity and abilities as well as different actions undertaken in difficult situations, this study proposes an analytical framework of farmers’ coping short-term micro-strategies in relation to external crises, on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account academic literature, qualitative data gathered from fruit and vegetable producers in different regions in Poland and the information from sector experts, the paper outlines the varied consequences of the pandemic for farms, and also farmers’ diverse reactions to them. The findings from this study suggests that the analysed farms’ relative resilience to the crisis was achieved thanks to their available economic and social resources and the actions they undertook. The above-mentioned resources and activities were considered in the study primarily using the relational (process-based) approach, focusing on the ways of their creation, maintenance and adaptation. At the same time, the empirical material under analysis has shown that the adaptive measures adopted were short-term and did not respond to the farms’ permanent problems, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significantly. It is assumed that presented results and proposed framework of farmers’ micro-strategies, which were taken during the pandemic, might be useful for future studies focusing on various external shocks as well as for research to be conducted in other CEE countries due to many common contextual factors that has shaped food practices and institutional arrangements.

Looking Forward to When it is Over: Reactions and Short-Term Coping Micro-Strategies of Polish Fruit and Vegetable Farmers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Department of European Integration, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The present paper focuses on farmers’ strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm...

Looking Forward to When it is Over: Reactions and Short-Term Coping Micro-Strategies of Polish Fruit and Vegetable Farmers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Published Online: Jan 05, 2023

Page range: 770 - 789

Received: Jul 26, 2021

Accepted: Oct 27, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0038

Keywords
resilience, coping micro-strategies, fruit and vegetable farms, effects of COVID-19 pandemic

© 2022 Michał Dudek et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Looking Forward to When it is Over: Reactions and Short-Term Coping Micro-Strategies of Polish Fruit and Vegetable Farmers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Published Online: Jan 05, 2023

Page range: 770 - 789

Received: Jul 26, 2021

Accepted: Oct 27, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0038

Keywordsresilience, coping micro-strategies, fruit and vegetable farms, effects of COVID-19 pandemic

© 2022 Michał Dudek et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
resilience, coping micro-strategies, fruit and vegetable farms, effects of COVID-19 pandemic