scholarly journals The Impact of Crop Diversification on the Economic Efficiency of Small Farms in Poland

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Kurdyś-Kujawska ◽  
Agnieszka Strzelecka ◽  
Danuta Zawadzka

Crop diversification finds an important place in the strategy of dealing with risk and uncertainty related to climate change. It helps to increase the resilience of farmers, significantly improving their income stability, but at the same time, it can lower the economic efficiency of small farms. The aim of the article is to identify the determinants of crop diversification and the impact of crop diversification on the economic efficiency of small farms in Poland. This article first provides a critical review of the literature on crop diversification, its role in stabilizing agricultural income and its impact on economic efficiency in small farms. Secondly, the level of crop diversification was determined and empirical research was conducted considering the economic, social and agronomic characteristics of farms. Thirdly, the economic efficiency of farms diversifying crops was compared with farms focused on one type of production. The research material consisted of small farms participating in the Polish system of collecting and using farm accountancy data (FADN) in 2018. The level of diversification was determined using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. The factors influencing crop diversification were identified using the logit regression model. The Mann–Whitney U rank sum test was used to assess the significance of the differences in distributions. The research results indicate an average level of crop diversification in small farms in Poland and its regional differentiation. In addition, a statistically significant positive impact on the probability of crop diversification in small farms in Poland was found of variables such as the level of exposure of agricultural production to atmospheric and agricultural drought and the location of the farm in the frost hardiness zone and a statistically significant negative impact of the variable: value of fixed assets. The existence of significant differences in the level of economic efficiency of farms diversifying crops and farms focused on one profile of agricultural production was proved. The study is an important voice in the discussion on increasing measures to strengthen support for small farms that diversify crops so as to ensure their greater stability and economic efficiency.

Author(s):  
Inna Tiutiunyk ◽  
Julia Belous

Trends in the development of the main components of financial and economic security of the country indicate their significant variability and dependence on a combination of internal and external factors. An important place among the drivers of influence on the level of financial and economic security is occupied by tax revenues. Given the prolonged national and transnational market turbulence, which is observed in most sectors of the economy, one of the biggest threats to the financial and economic security of most countries is the presence of a significant volume of shadow operations. The consequences of their implementation are the lack of tax revenues in the budget and the reduction of the country's financial viability in financing economic development programs. The purpose of the article is to study the impact of tax gaps on the level of financial and economic security of the country. In the paper, the essence of the financial and economic security of the country, which is proposed to be understood as a complex concept, integrates the features of economic and financial development of the economic system. Based on the systematization of scientific literatures, the main tasks and functions of financial and economic security of the country including realization of goals and objectives of financial policy and formation of favorable conditions for economically sustainable development and growth, highlights the characteristics of this concept are substantiated. The paper identifies three characteristic features of the financial and economic security of the country: as an indicator of its ability to protect the interests of society in a volatile external and internal environment; economically sustainable development and growth; leveling threats to the internal and external environment. The role of tax gaps in reducing the level of financial and economic security of the country is substantiated, the probability of formation of tax gaps in the economy is predicted, measures to minimize tax evasion as components of increasing its financial and economic security are proposed. The established interdependencies should serve as a basis for the transformation of state economic and financial policy in Ukraine in terms of minimizing the negative impact of the shadow sector of the economy on the indicators of economic development of the state.


Author(s):  
Nwakor Flora Ngozi ◽  
Amadi C. Okey ◽  
Okwusi Moses Chukwunwike ◽  
Adiele Ezekiel Chinyere

Climate change is a global problem affecting agricultural production, a good adaptation strategy for this phenomena should be sought for increase agricultural production. The study was conducted in Nigeria to assess the Impact of Climate Change on root and tuber crops production among farmers in Nigeria. Secondary data were used for the study, they were collected from NRCRI Umudike and other individual publications. The result shows that climate change had negative impact on root and tubers crops production including potato. Adaptation of Agriculture to climate change in the areas of crop and animal production, post harvest activities and capacity building, divers friction of livelihood sources through the use of different farming methods and improved agricultural practices will help to reduce the impact of climate change. Examples are establishment of forestry, generation of improved and disease resistance crop varieties addition of value into agricultural products and post harvest activities for climate change adaptation and sustainable development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shurui Zhang ◽  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Lingran Yuan ◽  
Xiaoguang Liu ◽  
Binlei Gong

PurposeThis article investigates the mechanism of the direct and indirect effects of epidemics on agricultural production and projects the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural output in China.Design/methodology/approachThis article first adopts a dynamic panel model and spatial Durbin model to estimate the direct and indirect effects, followed by a growth accounting method to identify the channels by which epidemics affect agriculture; finally, it projects the overall impact of COVID-19 on agriculture.FindingsThe incidence rate of epidemics in a province has a negative impact on that province's own agricultural productivity, but the increase in the input factors (land, fertilizer and machinery) can make up for the loss and thus lead to insignificant direct effects. However, this “input-offset-productivity” mechanism fails to radiate to the surrounding provinces and therefore leads to significant indirect/spillover effects. It is projected that COVID-19 will lower China's agricultural growth rate by 0.4%–2.0% in 2020 under different scenarios.Research limitations/implicationsIt is crucial to establish a timely disclosure and sharing system of epidemic information across provinces, improve the support and resilience of agricultural production in the short run and accelerate the process of agricultural modernization in the long run.Originality/valueConsidering the infectivity of epidemics, this article evaluates the mechanism of the direct and indirect effects by introducing a spatial dynamic model into the growth accounting framework. Moreover, besides the impact on input portfolio and productivity, this article also investigates whether epidemics reshape agricultural production processes due to panic effects and control measures.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18(33) (2) ◽  
pp. 342-352
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Żmija

The aim of the study is to identify factors resulting from non-agricultural activities in small farms and to examine their impact on the agricultural production carried out in these farms. Understanding these processes will help the state develop a way to encourage these small farms to develop non-agricultural activities, which will provide them with an additional, and often primary, source of income. The results of the authors’ surveys conducted among farmers possessing small farms, conducting both agricultural and non-agricultural activities, are presented. The research results showed that in most cases, non-agricultural activities can allow farm resources to be used more efficiently. However, the nature of the impact of non-agricultural activities on agricultural activities depends on the type of activities, and on their level of connection with the agricultural holding.


Author(s):  
Y. Melba ◽  
K. R. Ashok ◽  
A. Vidhyavathi ◽  
S. Kalaivani ◽  
P. Vennila

Aims: To assess the influence of agricultural production diversity of marginal and small farmers Study Design: Purposive Random Sampling Place and Duration of Study: Kanyakumari and Perambalur districts in Tamil Nadu were purposefully chosen for the survey, which was conducted through primary data collection from July to August 2020. Methodology: According to the Tamil Nadu state planning commission report 2017, Kanyakumari and Perambalur districts were chosen at random from the top five and bottom five districts of the food security index to analyze dietary diversity. The crop diversification index was calculated using the entropy index. The Tobit model is used to investigate the impact of diverse agriculture production among marginal and small farming households. Results: The findings clearly show that, of the two districts, Perambalur has diversified more than Kanyakumari. Farmers in Perambalur district cultivate agricultural crops, whereas farmers in Kanyakumari district selected block cultivate horticultural crops, particularly plantation crops. According to the Tobit results, the number of cattle, farm size, credit available, and distance from the market all had a positive and significant influence on crop diversification. Improving female-headed household decision-making, promoting household investment and infrastructure facilities, and suggesting crop development as crop diversification measures. Conclusion: The results conclude that farmers in Perambalur district have highly diversified cropping than Kanyakumari district.


Author(s):  
Stanisław BACIOR ◽  
Barbara PRUS ◽  
Małgorzata DUDZIŃSKA

The developed, innovative method of estimating the impact of motorway on agricultural land allows determination of all the losses associated with the directions of this impact. The basis for the determination of losses is the analysis of variability in land use and the quality classes and location of access roads to the land along the axis of the planned motorway. The approved measure of the multidirectional impact of the motorway on agricultural land is a change in the value of land, which is designated taking into account the differentiation of their suitability for agricultural production. The developed method of determining the impact of motorway on agricultural land was presented on the example of A4 motorway section between Bratkowice and Mrowla. The existing section of motorway was assessed and then for the same section the calculations were made again, but with an alternative location of the motorway overpasses. In the case of the existing section, the construction of one kilometer of the section of motorway under consideration will result in a reduction in the value of agricultural land of 1725 cereal units. Acquisition of land for the construction of the motorway and its negative impact cover about 69% of the total reduction in value of agricultural land. The remaining 31% of the land value reduction is related to the increase in transport and the deterioration of the parcels layout. On the other hand, in the case of the section with alternative arrangement of viaducts, the value of agricultural land is reduced of 1538 cereal units. Acquisition of land under construction and its toxic impact will be equal 75%, while the combined effect of transport growth and deterioration of the layout makes 25%.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingze Wu ◽  
Yueji Zhu ◽  
Qi Yang

Purpose Farmers' adaptation strategies in agricultural production are required to minimise the negative impact of climate change on a nation's food production in developing countries. Based on the panel data of the provincial level in China from 2000 to 2017, this study aims to analyse the changing climate over recent years and farmers' adaptation strategy in terms of cropping in agricultural production. Design/methodology/approach This study uses Simpson's diversity index (SDI) to measure the degree of crop diversity planted by farmers and evaluate the influence of climate change on farmers' cropping strategy using the fixed-effect model. Further, the authors estimate the impact of farmers' cropping strategy on their economic performances in two aspects including yields and technical efficiency of crops. Findings The empirical results show that the overall climate appears a warming trend. Different from farmers in some other countries, Chinese farmers tend to adopt a more specialised cropping strategy which can significantly improve the technical efficiency and yields of crops in agriculture. In addition, as a moderating role, the specialised cropping can help farmers to alleviate the negative impact of climate change on technical efficiency of their crops. Originality/value First, previous studies showed that the changing climate influenced farmers' adaptation strategies, while most studies focussed on multiple adaptation strategies from the farm-level perspective rather than cropping strategy from the nation-level perspective. Second, the present study investigates how the cropping strategy affects the economic performance (in terms of the technical efficiency and crop yields) of agricultural production. Third, the stochastic frontier analysis method is used to estimate the technical efficiency. Fourth, this study explores the moderating effect between farmers' cropping strategy and technical efficiency by introducing an interaction item of SDI and accumulated temperature.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatoly Zeyliger ◽  
Olga Ermolaeva

<p>Until recently, new technologies introduced into irrigated agriculture were mainly aimed at developing one or several related control actions. However, the needs of society to increase the volume and improve the quality of agricultural products have led to significant qualitative changes in irrigated agriculture. The various robotic systems used for this have proven their effectiveness in the mechanization and automation of the irrigation process, as well as in the application of chemical fertilizers and chemical protection of agricultural crops from diseases and pests. This resulted in higher yields while lowering production costs.Nowadays, biotechnologies currently being developed and being introduced into irrigated agriculture, as well as systems for controlling and monitoring environmental impacts, are aimed at solving problems related to further increasing the efficiency of the use of natural resources, while minimizing the risks of negative impact on components and services of the environment.This is largely due to the impact of the rapid development of IC and sensor technologies aimed at creating production management systems based on the cyber-physical systems (CPS) paradigm. For this, there are using a holistic vision of the structure and cybernetic methods of management, artificial intelligence technologies, as well as digital platforms for integrating information flows between sub-subsystems of management, control, monitoring and decision support.In this context, the main difference between developed agricultural CPSs from the existing industrial agricultural systems focused on current economic efficiency lies in the plane of making agricultural production sustainable in the long term based on a balance between economic efficiency and the quality of natural resources used and services of the environment. From this point of view, irrigated agriculture focuses on the efficient use of natural resources, which are water, soil and air, as well as renewable and non-renewable (fossil) energy. At the same time, weather are considered as the impact of the external environment providing an irreplaceable source of water, heat and energy resources but with stochastic characteristics that are difficult to formalize. In connection with this diversity, a CPSs are built taking into account a complex compromise that takes into account many aspects of the negative impact of intensive agricultural production technologies on the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of these resources, not only in the place of their use, but also on the external environment beyond these limits. In this regard, water resources are one of the most important factors necessary, on the one hand, to impart long-term sustainability to irrigated agriculture, and on the one hand, as a factor that can lead in the near future to a significant decrease in fertility, as well as to a negative impact on the environmental services of the surrounding area. This contribution discusses some points of the development of an agricultural irrigation CPS’ subsystem aimed to monitor the soil moisture content at the root zone of the soil cover at the scale of irrigated agricultural crops and their relationship with industrial sprinkling technologies.Acknowledgments: The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 19-29-05261 mk</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 16-30
Author(s):  
Abdoulay Mfewou ◽  
Julius Tata ◽  
Paul Nadji

With its Sahelian climate, Chad presents climatic parameters which have a very negative impact on its agricultural productivity. Faced with this natural problem for peasant society, political decision-makers do little to support local adaptation mechanisms. The study in Kélo, southern Chad, (606.9 mm; 28.9 ° C) was carried out for five months. The survey was conducted with 140 heads of households randomly chosen from this area to collect information relating to the damage caused by climatic vagaries on the yields of cultivated plants and the analysis of meteorological data collected at the Kélo station by l 'Chad Institute of Agronomic Research for Development (ITRAD) on climate variability which shows the irregularities of the rains at their beginnings and / or at their ends, the shortening of the rainy season and, a slight rise in temperature. These rainfall irregularities, the main crops are experiencing yield reductions of the order of 70¨% of the average, approximately: 20-25 bags of paddy per hectare against 7-12 bags of paddy for rice, 4-5 bags / ha against 2-3 bags / ha for sorghum and pearl millet, 10-13 bags / ha against 6-9 bags / ha for peanuts, 600-900 kg / ha against 250-600 kg for cotton, etc. . In 2018, rainfall over time shows linear correlations established between cereal and cotton yields on the one hand, and those of annual rainfall on the other. The result also shows that there are no explicit linear relationships between these variables. This shows that, mere knowledge of the rainfall regime is not enough to explain the decline in agricultural production; because poor agricultural production can result from both poor and surplus water conditions and / or poor distribution of rains. It is recorded that food production per capita also decreases; this decline occupies a very important place in all policies of local development projects but weakly applied by rural decision-makers. Consequently, there is recurrent food insecurity, putting the farmer in a dependency on assistantship from outside the region.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 43-50
Author(s):  
K.S. Pandey ◽  
H. Shrestha ◽  
L.P. Devkota

The study the analyzed relationship of climate change with agricultural production in Kavre and Jumla districts. The specific objective of the study was to find out the dimension and linkage between agricultural production and climatic parameters in Kavre and Jumla. Time series data were analysed for the study. The data was sourced from the Department of Hydrology Meteorology, Department of Agriculture, and National Bureau of Statistics. Descriptive statistics, linear analysis test and back ward difference filter were the analytical tools used to determine the impact of climate change on productivity. During harvest period, the correlation of rice yield with temperature and rainfall was negative at Kavre but positive at Jumla. Similarly, the correlation of wheat yield with temperature and rainfall was positive at Kavre but negative at Jumla. The result showed that extreme fluctuation in weather caused negative impact on production in Jumla in compared to Kavre districts.


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