Young and Older Farmers’ Perception and Assessment of Government Agricultural Agencies in Poland

This article attempts to determine significance of differences among young and older farmers’ judgments on selected performance aspects of two EU paying agencies in Poland, namely Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARMA) and Agricultural Market Agency (AMA). The survey across Poland was conducted in late 2006 on a total of 194 respondents. The Likert-scale questionnaires were used to obtain data responses regarding the performance of the agencies. The sampling unit was the individual farm, the respondent being the person in charge of managing the farm and being customer of both agencies. The following hypotheses were set up for the study: 1. The young and older farmers’ perceptions of the government agencies impact on economic situation of agricultural holding are not significantly different; 2. The perceptions of young and older farmers of the government agencies’ role performance are not significantly different. These hypotheses have been empirically tested using the Z-test. Hypothesis no 2 was rejected for two agencies whereas Hypothesis no 1 was rejected for one agency (AMA). Study reveals that both young and older respondents are more familiar with ARMA (responsible, among others, for the direct payments to farmers) than with AMA (responsible for market measures). The overall results of the present study suggest that on average Polish young farmers are more knowledgeable about Government agencies and more critical of the agencies performance than older farmers. Consequently, policy makers, Government and its agencies should more carefully look into some problems facing young people in Polish farming.Government agencies, farmers, Poland, Agricultural and Food Policy,

Homo agricola considered as homo economicus and homo politicus

The paper is of descriptive character and is based on literature review. It reviews the concept of homo economicus and homo politicus in the history of economic thought and tries to discover their characteristics in homo agricola. As demonstrated, one component of homo agricola can be of economic and another one of political nature. Those components can be separated or can be together. Agricultural economists, however, in their sophisticated mathematical models seem to reduce farmers' behaviour to economic behaviour or rather to self-interested homo economicus. Institutional economics, social economics and socio-economics are closer to actual human nature, than homo economicus. The further research challenge before agricultural academia is to develop the model that will be able to fully explain the questions involving all human behaviour of homo agricola, that is farmer or rural man with set of different objectives

Do Cooperative Banks Really Serve Agricultural Sector in Poland?

The aim of the paper is to assess the potential of cooperative banks for serving agricultural sector in Poland and to identify the areas with the most development potential. We discuss the transformation process in the cooperative banking system under market economy, and in particular investigate importance of cooperative banks for farms' financing on the basis of our survey of banks. Moreover, the role of cooperative banks in transmission of Government policy supporting farm sector in Poland is discussed. We find that despite growing competition from the commercial banking sector, farms and rural households in Poland are still of major importance for the cooperative banks in Poland.cooperative banks, agricultural sector, Poland, Agricultural Finance, G21, O18, Q14,

The care for older people during the COVID-19 pandemic : an overview of the situation in Poland

AUTHORS' DEDICATION: “During the time this paper was being prepared for publication, our scientific mentor and friend, a retired professor at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Maria-Okret Zajaczkowska, passed away. We wish to dedicate this work to her memory.”PURPOSE: The research aims to review and assess the situation of the old adults as well as formal and informal elderly care in Poland at the time of Covid-19.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: It includes, inter alia, the relevant literature overview, short characteristics of the structure of care facilities for the elderly and the sources of their financing, changes related to the pandemic and their consequences, identification of the main socio-economic problems of caregivers, and the impact of the pandemic on the health, dignity, and well-being of older adults. The study uses secondary data from the national statistics, Eurostat, OECD as well as primary data from the survey addressed to the older persons and their formal and informal carers (including family members), that was conducted to examine economic, financial, social, and health condition both of caregivers and care receivers during the pandemic.FINDINGS: The study is situated within the domain of the economics of care, health economics, behavioural economics, and social policy. It provides an important contribution to the understanding of the challenges faced both by the most vulnerable people who need support and providers of this support during the crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Research shows that public long-term care for the elderly in Poland does not sufficiently meet the needs, while commercial facilities are too expensive long-term care solutions, which is why the care is mostly provided in-home by relatives. Moreover, during Covid-19, the burden on families with caring for older people increased compared with "normal" times.peer-reviewe

Agriculture in the Face of Changing Markets, Institutions and Policies: Challenges and Strategies

Since the late 1980s, agriculture in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) has been under considerable adjustment pressure due to changing political, economic and institutional environments. These changes have been linked to the transition process, as well as the ongoing integration into the European Union and the world market. Reduced subsidies, increased environmental and food quality demands, as well as structural changes in the supply, processing and food retailing sector call for major structural adjustments and the improvement of farmersâ managerial abilities. Though such changes always carry significant threats to farms, they also offer new opportunities for the farms' entrepreneurial engagement. Upcoming changes in the agricultural environment and their possible consequences for farm structures across Europe are thus still timely subjects. The objective of the IAMO Forum 2006 is to contribute to the success of agriculture in the CEECs, as well as their neighboring countries, in todayâs increasingly competitive environment. Concrete questions the conference focuses on are: What are the most suitable farm organizations, cooperative arrangements and contractual forms? How to improve efficiency and productivity? Where do market niches lie and what are the new product demands? This book contains 33 invited and selected contributions. These papers will be presented at the IAMO Forum 2006 in order to offer a platform for scientists, practitioners and policy-makers to discuss challenges and potential strategies at the farm, value chain, rural society and policy levels in order to cope with the upcoming challenges. IAMO Forum 2006, as well as this book, would not have been possible without the engagement of many people and institutions. We thank the authors of the submitted abstracts and papers, as well as the referees, for their evaluation of the abstracts from which the papers were selected. In particular, we would like to express our thanks to OLIVER JUNGKLAUS, GABRIELE MEWES, KLAUS REINSBERG and ANGELA SCHOLZ, who significantly contributed to the organization of the Forum. Furthermore, our thanks goes to SILKE SCHARF for her work on the layout and editing support of this book, and to JIM CURTISS, JAMIE BULLOCH, and DÃNALL Ã MEARÃIN for their English proof-reading. As experience from previous years documents, the course of the IAMO Forum continues to profit from the support and engagement of the IAMO administration, which we gratefully acknowledge. Last but not least, we are very grateful to the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Haniel Foundation and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO) for their respective financial support.Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management, Industrial Organization, International Development, Labor and Human Capital, Land Economics/Use, Productivity Analysis,

The pros and cons of the EU Common Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union has generated a great deal of attention and controversy among research community, practitioners and the wider population. The aim of this study is to overview and to discuss the thoughts and comments on the CAP which have been addressed by both its proponents and its opponents in the scientific publications, political commentaries, official reports, pubic opinion surveys and social-media-based public forums. While on the one hand, recent public opinion poll (Eurobarometer 2016) indicated broad support among EU citizens for the CAP; on the other hand, other sources give some strong arguments in favour of reducing or even scrapping the CAP. The CAP supporters (including European Commission itself) highlight, among others, the benefits of this policy (environmental; cultural; social vitality; food variety, quality and security; maintaining of rural employment, etc.) for all European citizens and not only for farmers, while CAP opponents stress its unfairness both to non-farmers (e.g. huge financial costs of its policy for taxpayers) and small farmers (large farmers benefit most), heavy administrative burden for farmers as well as the CAP’s destructing impact both on the EU states’ agriculture systems and developing countries’ agricultural markets. The CAP is basically the same for all EU member states but the EU countries differ considerably in terms of their rural development. According to some views, the CAP does not fit the Central and Eastern European countries. It represents a failure of the EU to adjust adequately from an exclusively Western European institution into a proper pan-European organization

Jakość rządzenia a rozwój społeczno-gospodarczy obszarów wiejskich w krajach Unii Europejskiej

The paper tests two hypotheses using the composite indicators of economic and social development of rural areas (WRG, WRS) as well as European Quality of Government Index (EQI) for EU member states: (1): The quality of governance is strongly and positively associated with economic development of EU rural areas; (2) The quality of governance is strongly and positively associated with social development of EU rural areas. Pearson’s correlation analysis was carried out for the EU as a whole and for the groups of its member states for 2010 and 2013. Research results show that the indicators of quality of government at the national (WGIy ) and regional (Cqog) levels are highly, positively and significantly correlated with indicators of economic and social development of rural areas in countries across the EU. The research found no evidence suggesting any difference in the strength of the relationship between quality of government at national level and the two development indicators between groups of EU countries with various levels of rural development

Distribution of EU and National Funds Supporting Agriculture and Rural Development: Empirical Insights from Mazovia Region

Abstract. This paper addresses the question of distribution of support from the EU budget and the national budget to agricultural holders in Mazovia region in comparison with Poland as a whole. In the first main section, the characteristics of the agricultural sector in the region, using main sectoral indicators, is presented. The second section illustrates the agricultural and rural support under the Rural Development Program and the Sectoral Operational Program "Restructuring and modernization of agriculture and rural development" provided to Mazovian beneficiaries with reference to this support at whole country level. Empirical analyses are based on Eurostat statistics as well as on data obtained from the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Results of the study show that the Mazovian province, which is a region that can be placed in front of agricultural development, was awarded over the period 2004-2007 a relatively high level of support and ranked first or second among all 16 provinces according to selected measures

Homo Agricola considered as Homo Economicus and Homo Politicus

The paper is of descriptive character and is based on literature review. It reviews the concept of homo economicus and homo politicus in the history of economic thought and tries to discover their characteristics in homo agricola. As demonstrated, one component of homo agricola can be of economic and another one of political nature. Those components can be separated or can be together. Agricultural economists, however, in their sophisticated mathematical models seem to reduce farmers’ behaviour to economic behaviour or rather to self-interested homo economicus. Institutional economics, social economics and socio-economics are closer to actual human nature, than homo economicus. The further research challenge before agricultural academia is to develop the model that will be able to fully explain the questions involving all human behaviour of homo agricola, that is farmer or rural man with set of different objectives