Veel plannen bij Oost-Europese melkveehouders

De meeste melkveehouders willen het liefst veel melken als strategie naar de toekomst. De Oost-Europese melkveehouders zien daarbij de toekomstige EU-landbouwpolitiek en de markt als een grotere bedreiging dan onze veehouders, terwijl Nederlandse veehouders afschaffing van de quotering zelfs als een uitdaging zien. Onze veehouders lijken echter meer afwachtend met strategievorming

Bariery rozwoju rolnictwa ekologicznego

The goal of this research was to review the literature dedicated to barriers to the development of the organic production system. As an agricultural system combining economic and environmental objectives, organic farming has gained social acceptance. The growth of consumer interest in organic food is indicative of this. Public funds play an important role in the development of organic farming, encouraging the transition from a traditional to an organic system of farming. However, a reduced rate of growth of the number of organic farms and even a return to conventional production methods is being observed. Such farmer behavior is taking place in many EU countries. Analysis was conducted based on the results of studies conducted until now and mass statistical data. The results of analysis indicate that organic farming is encountering numerous development barriers. These are barriers related to management, market and cultural barriers, as well as barriers linked to national policy and technology. Social support for the development of organic production is also significant. There is, therefore, a need to identify barriers and adopt a strategy to support organic farming. Limiting these barriers will contribute to broadening the food offer that contains high nutritional values and encompasses the concept of environmental protection.Celem artykułu jest przegląd literatury poświęconej barierom rozwoju ekologicznego systemu produkcji. Rolnictwo ekologiczne, jako system gospodarowania łączący cele ekonomiczne i środowiskowe zyskało społeczną akceptację. Świadczy o tym wzrost zainteresowania konsumentów żywnością ekologiczną. Ważną rolę w rozwoju produkcji ekologicznej spełniają środki publiczne, które są zachętą do przejścia z tradycyjnego na ekologiczny system gospodarowania. Obserwuje się jednak zmniejszone tempo wzrostu liczby gospodarstw ekologicznych, a nawet powrót do konwencjonalnych metod produkcji. Takie zachowania rolników obserwuje się w wielu państwach Unii Europejskiej. Analizę przeprowadzono na podstawie wyników dotychczasowych badań i danych statystyki masowej. Wyniki analizy wskazują, że rolnictwo ekologiczne napotyka na liczne bariery rozwoju. Są to bariery związane z zarządzaniem, bariery rynkowe i kulturowe oraz związane z polityką państwa, a także technologiczne. Istotne znaczenie ma również wsparcie społeczne dla rozwoju produkcji ekologicznej. Istnieje zatem potrzeba identyfikacji barier i przyjęcie strategii wsparcia rolnictwa ekologicznego. Ograniczanie tych barier przyczyni się do poszerzenia oferty żywności o wysokich walorach odżywczych i ochrony środowiska naturalnego

Analysis of Stakeholders’ Expectations for Dairy Sector Development Strategies from a Central Eastern and Western European Perspective

The development paths chosen by farmers and the critical success factors involved can be better understood when the business context in which these farmers operate is known. Also, interaction in the chain contributes to the strength of the chain. This raises questions such as do chain parties cooperate and is there a certain consensus concerning the future strategic route? This article provides a unique analysis of how stakeholders envisage the future of dairy farming in a period of radical policy change and what barriers they foresee to their objectives. The questionnaire used examined perceptions on development strategies, availability of resources, opportunities & threats (O&T), farmer skills and future expectations. In 2015 and early 2016, a total of 161 completed questionnaires were collected from stakeholders (leading persons in the dairy chain) in the Netherlands, Slovenia, Lithuania and Poland. Data were analysed by PCA, ANOVA, cluster and stepwise regression methods. Eight strategic clusters of stakeholders were found. Farm expansion and specialisation was the most expected development strategy (57% of stakeholders). Almost one fourth of the stakeholders took a wait and see approach, of which 15% looked for opportunities to activate at a particular moment in time, while 8% were generally pessimistic about the future. Diversification in combination with organic farming was chosen by 5% of the stakeholders, 10% of stakeholders focused on cooperation, service and high tech, and another 5% placed their trust in skills, subsidies and labour. The opinions of stakeholders were highly affected by the country of origin, while only minor variations in opinions were observed between different categories of stakeholders. Polish stakeholders showed the most specialised view on the dairy chain, but they scored relatively low on cooperation. Development towards diversification and organic agriculture received higher scores in Slovenia and Lithuania compared to the Netherlands and especially to Poland. Netherlands’ stakeholders were the most positive about the future e.g. they foresee expansion and market opportunities. It was shown that strategies, resources and O&T each directly affect future expectations, which was in agreement with the hypothetical model used

Competencies and agricultural entrepreneurship of dairy farmers in Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia

Farmers in Eastern Europe face important challenges. It is assumed that improved capacities of farmers on strategic management and entrepreneurship enable them to better anticipate towards the continuous changes and keep their farms viable. Therefore a study which aims to give insight in the competencies and entrepreneurship of dairy farmers in Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia was started in 2011. A survey amongst 1038 farms was carried out in 2011 and the beginning of 2012, of which 334, 334 and 362 dairy farmers in Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia, respectively, were included in the analysis. Most farmers interviewed (71.5%) characterised their farms as a specialised dairy farm. Expand dairy production and further specialisation were chosen most often as focus for the development of the farm in the coming 5 years (by 70.4% and 70.3% of the interviewed dairy farmers respectively). The farmers qualified the farming goals earn enough money to support the family, maximise profit, breed sustainable dairy cows (regarding longevity and fertility), keep costs as low as possible and improvement of animal welfare as (very) important. Perceived opportunities were technical developments, ICT applications, EU subsidies, advisory services and internet. The future reduction of direct payments was seen as the biggest threat. The interviewed farmers perceived the possibilities to perform their preferred strategies and their knowledge to do so as neutral or a little positive. They were quite positive about their entrepreneurial competencies (especially analysing and pursuing) and abilities for strategic reflection and perceived themselves as rather financially conservative. They appeared to be reasonably positive about their future. If a distinction is made between farmers with high and low competence levels, it appears that farmers with a high competence level make different strategic choices (more often directed to further development of the farm), have higher scores for entrepreneurial features, are more positive about their future and have bigger farms than farmers with a low competence level. The results of the survey serve as basic measurement for trainings on strategic management, innovation and entrepreneurship in Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia.</p