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

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of weather factors on the yield of selected cereals in the context of ongoing climate change. The study used variables specifying factors such as temperature, precipitation, as well as control variables, which were the share of medium and heavy soils in a given province and the consumption of mineral fertilizers in kg of NPK/ha. The dependent variables were yields of selected cereals. Data were collected from databases of the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management National Research Institute (IMGW PIB), Poland Statistics (GUS), and Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation State Research Institute (IUNG PIB). The meteorological data came from 157 meteorological stations located in 14 provinces. Estimation was carried out for the 2013–2020 period. The study used the panel regression method. For all the models estimated, there was a significant effect of the number of days with precipitation on yields. While regularly occurring, moderate rainfall is undoubtedly favorable, large amounts of rainfall can adversely affect yields. Another statistically significant climatic factor is temperature during spring and summer, with moderate temperatures being the most favorable for yields. Changes in temperature affected yield changes in individual cereals with varying intensity, with the strongest effect recorded for wheat. On the basis of the research carried out, a conclusion was drawn that Polish agriculture will need to adapt to the  new conditions by undertaking a number of measures, including changing the  structure of crops, securing the  irrigation of plants against possible droughts with efficient, modern irrigation systems, increasing the  genetic diversity of plants, and using modern agrotechnics.
</abstract>

Poznan University of Economics and Business

Impact of Weather Conditions on Cereal Yields in Poland

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The aim of this study was to identify the long-term tendencies regarding the land use in farms of different sizes in Poland and Czechia, with special focus on small-scale farms. The article answers the question about functioning of small farms in Poland and Czechia, as they represent different structures of land use among farms. On the one hand, the land fragmentation in Poland, and on the other hand, domination of large farms in Czechia, with a lower share of small farms. To achieve the aim, the study used data from the Farm Structure Survey (FSS) and Agricultural Census (2010, 2020) from Eurostat for six periods (2005, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2020) and selected data for recent years from the World Bank database.
In the period under analysis, it can be observed that there is a significant decline in the number of small farms both in Poland and Czechia, while the decrease in utilized agricultural area was smaller. Hence, the average area of farm increased which helped them to improve the land productivity, while increasing the standard output per hectare of utilized agricultural area. The analysis showed that there are two different models of the position of small farms in the Polish and Czech agricultural sectors, however, some positive and desired tendencies occur in both systems.
</abstract>

DSc, Assoc. Prof. of UEP, Poznan University of Economics and Business

Small Farms in Poland and Czechia: Development Paths

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The main objective of the article was to assess the financial resilience of agri-food companies operating in the Mazowieckie Voivodship between 2018 and 2020. An intermediate objective was additionally to assess the financial health of these entities. The study used descriptive statistics methods, ratio analysis, and Taffler’s discrimination model. Empirical data were derived from annual financial statements downloaded from Dun &amp; Bradstreet and EMIS databases. The results showed that between 2018 and 2020, most entities in the agri-food sector were doing very well and there was a low probability that their financial situation would deteriorate. It is worrying that during the period under analysis, there remained a considerable number of agri-food enterprises with a high probability of financial problems (Z-score below 0.2). This group of enterprises accounted for approximately 30% of the sample. Entities with an elevated risk of financial problems struggled with significant excess liquidity and recorded negative profitability ratios – ROS and ROA. Asset indebtedness was a factor strengthening the financial resilience of the entities under analysis. The results of the analyses can be the basis for deepening the methods for assessing resilience in the agricultural sector (e.g., as part of the CAP 2023–2027 evaluation). Future research should include, inter alia, the identification of differences in Z-score by company size or production type, as well as the identification of determinants of financial resilience in terms of other factors that have not been analyzed yet.
</abstract>

Financial Resilience of Agri-Food Enterprises from Mazowieckie Voivodship

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The study aims to measure the profitability of spice crops, their marketing channels, marketing efficiency, and price spread effects. The study was based on a field survey of 320 spice farmers of Haryana state in India carried out between 2020 and 2021. The authors presented analytical purposes, compound growth rate, cost–benefit ratio, marketing channels, marketing efficiency and price spread effect. The growth of area and production of spice crops is not very strong compared to the profitability of spice crops. Cost–benefit ratio shows that spice crops are more profitable than traditional crops for farmers. However, due to high cost of cultivation, volatile prices, and fear of crop failure, area under spices cultivation is very small. Price spread effect is very high in channel I and II. The majority of farmers adopted inefficient marketing channel (low price for producer and high price for consumer) due to lack of storage facility and weak financial health. The role of government is important for protecting the rights of producers as well as consumers. Mediators’ role should be minimized by government policy in the marketing of spice crops in Haryana so that farmers can charge the right price for their spice crops.
</abstract>

Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology

Economics and Marketing of Selected Spices and Traditional Crops: Insights into Farmers from Haryana, India

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Excessive or inappropriate use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture causes environmental pollution problems around the world. The purpose of the study was to assess the state of farmers’ knowledge of the regulations on the implementation of cross-compliance in terms of the implementation of the nitrate program. The empirical part of the study was drawn up on the basis of a pilot survey conducted in 2022 in the Kolno municipality. The research was carried out on a randomly selected minimum required sample of 65 respondents (farmers). The analyses of the responses presented took into account the age and education of the respondents. The relationship between the state of knowledge and education was confirmed by the chi-square test. To achieve the purpose of the study, a hypothesis was put forward, such as that farmers, although aware of the need to comply with cross-compliance, have gaps in their knowledge of the specific rules of conduct. Based on the results of the study, it was found that younger farmers showed greater knowledge of cross-compliance in the context of the nitrate program, but the best results were found in the group of younger but experienced farmers, starting from the age of 30.
</abstract>

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

Farmers’ Knowledge about Current Nitrate Program on the Example of the Kolno Municipality

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 379 (2024): Issue 2 (June 2024)

Volume 378 (2024): Issue 1 (March 2024)

Volume 377 (2023): Issue 4 (December 2023)

Volume 376 (2023): Issue 3 (September 2023)

Volume 375 (2023): Issue 2 (June 2023)

Volume 374 (2023): Issue 1 (March 2023)

Volume 373 (2022): Issue 4 (December 2022)

Volume 372 (2022): Issue 3 (September 2022)

Volume 371 (2022): Issue 2 (June 2022)

Volume 370 (2022): Issue 1 (March 2022)

Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej

 The quarterly Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej / Problems of Agricultural Economics is the oldest and most representative journal in Poland dealing with agri-food economics and related disciplines. Since its beginning, it has been the main forum for presenting the key scientific and research findings, fuelling scientific disputes, forming new theories and concepts of practical solutions, conducting discussions around the methodology of scientific research. Published articles are dedicated to the fields of agricultural economics and policy, food industry and trade, rural areas development, globalization and regionalization, sustainability, environment protection, bioeconomy, climate changes, innovations and digital technologies, risk management and insurances, as well as finance and marketing.   The journal reaches out to many foreign research centres to serve as an important tool for exchange of information on current directions in research between the Polish and international readership. With contribution from leading international scholars, the journal promotes new developments in research and methods of analysis.     Preference is given to original articles that test, extend or build strong theoretical frameworks while empirically investigating the issues. All empirical methods, including, but not limited to, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed ones, are welcome.     The journal publishes full-texts of papers in Open Access. All papers are made available under the Creative Commons CC BY (Attribution) international license. The papers available on the website from 2014 are in Polish and English. Since 2016, the primary version of the journal has been the online English version. The website www.zer.waw.pl features full texts of papers published from 2009 as well as other selected archival issues.     The Publisher of the journal – Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics National Research Institute – is a member of Crossref; therefore all articles published in the journal are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Moreover, the Editorial Team uses the Crossref Similarity Check.     The journal is indexed in the following databases: Web of Science (Emerging Sources Citation Index), CABI, ERIH Plus, Agro, BazEkon, CeON, CEJSH, SIGŻ, AgEcon Search, SSRN, and ICI Journals Master List.     According to the Communication from the Minister for Education and Science dated 1 December 2021 concerning the list of scientific journals and materials from international conferences, the journal Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej / Problems of Agricultural Economics scored 40 points.     There is no charge for submitting to the journal.     NOTE: Polish authors are requested to submit their manuscripts in both Polish and English.   Archiving   Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.   Plagiarism Policy   The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 