Analyzing Spatiotemporal Development of Organic Farming in Poland

Organic farming is one of the most widely known sustainable models of agricultural production. Success in eco-agriculture also depends greatly on agri-environmental, territorial, economic, social, institutional and spatial conditions. Polish eco-farming is very regionally dispersed and diversified. Regarding the important contribution of organic farming, a better understanding of how this phenomenon develops and which factors affect its spatial distribution can be influential for policymakers in planning strategies that pursue sustainable development objectives in rural areas. This paper assesses the development and analyses the spatial distribution of organic farming in Polish LAU-2. The country’s eco-agriculture was mapped and defined using a synthetic measure, described by 27 sub-measurements of ecological crop cultivation, animal maintenance and eco-production. The local spatial patterns (direction, scale, and range) of organic farming were detected by spatial autocorrelation measurements. The analysis was conducted for the period 2014–2020. Possible external and internal determinants of this spatial dispersion were also defined. The results indicate that the distribution and spread of organic farming in Poland are related to public support, institutional regulations, social considerations, environmental concerns, the local job market and spatial dependencies.

Choosing inequality: how economic security fosters competitive regimes

In a novel experimental design, we study how social immobility affects the choice among distributional schemes in an experimental democracy. We design a two-period experiment in which subjects first choose a distributional scheme by majority voting (“social contract”). Then subjects engage in a competitive real-effort task to earn points. Based on production success, participants are ranked from best to worst. In combination with the initially chosen scheme, these ranks determine the final payout of the first round, leading to a pattern of societal stratification. Participants are informed individually about points and rank, before the same sequence of voting, production and payoff determination is repeated in a second round. To test the effect of social immobility on choosing distributional regimes the experiment is conducted with and without a social immobility factor, i.e. a different weighting of the two rounds. In our standard scenario, payoffs are simply added. In our “social immobility setting”, we alter the game as follows: the actual income in round 2 is calculated by adding 0.2 times the raw payoff from the second production game and 0.8 times the income from round 1. With the higher importance of round 1 success, we simulate the fact that economic movement upwards and downwards in societies (“social mobility”) is a de facto rigid constraint: high and low incomes tend to reproduce themselves. Our main findings are that in the Equal Weight Treatment, most groups opt for complete equality in both rounds, while in the unequal weight setting the initial choice of equality is followed by a shift to the most competitive regime. In both treatments, we observe that those performing well in round 1 tend to vote for unequal schemes in round 2, while low-performers develop an even stronger “taste for equality”. This supports a central Rawlsian idea: behind an (experimental) “veil of uncertainty”, the lack of idiosyncratic information is strong enough to let people decide as if driven by social preferences. The different group decisions in round 2 suggest that for this to happen, stakes need to be sufficiently high. To our surprise, other factors like gender, social background or real-life income have hardly any impact on unveiled decision making. We conclude that in our experimental democracy, competition based income allocation (a “market economy”) finds support only if people are sufficiently well off. Hence, increasing inequality perpetuated by social immobility is likely to undermine the general support for market-based systems.

Gross Margin Analysis of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Genotypes As Influenced By Sowing Dates

In this study the economic performance of different sowing times of alfalfa cultivars were examined. Plots were established in 2015-2017 period, in the area of Siirt University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops,in Turkey. The randomized split block experimental design with three replications was applied in the study. Main plots were consisted from the genotypes and the subplots were consisted from the sowing times. The experimental material comprised of four alfalfa genotypes, three different planting times. The gross margin analysis were used to analyse the data for the study. Gross margin, indicator per unit area was used to evaluate of production success level and compare economic efficiency of different dates of planting for alfalfa genotypes. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test used for data normality test and analysis of variance used to analyze the differences between group means. As a result, maximum gross margin was obtanied at Magnum V planted on 5th April (D2) in 2017, while Nimet planted on 30th April (D3) in 2015 have the minimum gross margin (-13.61).

Sand Free Production Success Through Proven Technology Enabler from An Untapped Heterogeneous Reservoir Zone Utilizing Gravel Pack Replacement Methodology

The Belida field is an offshore field located in Block B of Indonesia’s South Natuna Sea. This field was discovered in 1989. Both oil and gas bearing reservoirs are present in the Belida field in the Miocene Arang, Udang and Intra Barat Formations. Within the middle Arang Formation, there are three gas pay zones informally referred to as Beta, Gamma and Delta. These sand zones are thin pay zones which need to be carefully planned and economically exploited. Due to the nature of the reservoir, sand production is a challenge and requires downhole sand control. A key challenge for sand control equipment in this application is erosion resistance without inhibiting productivity as high gas rates and associated high flow velocity is expected from the zones, which is known to have caused sand control failure. To help achieve a cost-effective and easily planned deployment solution to produce hydrocarbons, a rigless deployment is the preferred method to deploy downhole sand control. PSD analysis from the reservoir zone suggested from ‘Industry Rules of Thumb’ a conventional gravel pack deployment as a means of downhole sand control. However, based on review of newer globally proven sand control technologies since adoption of these ‘Industry Rules of Thumb’, a cost-effective solution could be considered and implemented utilizing Ceramic Sand Screen technology. This paper will discuss the successful application at Block B, Natuna Sea using Ceramic Sand Screens as a rigless intervention solution addressing the erosion / hot spotting challenges in these high rate production zones. The erosion resistance of the Ceramic Sand Screen design allows a deployment methodology directly adjacent to the perforated interval to resist against premature loss of sand control. The robust ceramic screen design gave the flexibility required to develop a cost-effective lower completion deployment methodology both from a challenging make up in the well due to a restrictive lubricator length to the tractor conveyancing in the well to land out at the desired set depth covering the producing zone. The paper will overview the success of multi-service and product supply co-operation adopting technology enablers to challenge ‘Industry Rules of Thumb’ replaced by rigless reasoning as a standard well intervention downhole sand control solution where Medco E&P Natuna Ltd. (Medco E&P) faces sand control challenges in their high deviation, sidetracked well stock. The paper draws final attention to the hydrocarbon performance gain resulting due to the ability for choke free production to allow drawing down the well at higher rates than initially expected from this zone.

ORGANIZATION OF SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE FRUIT SECTOR IN POLAND

The aim of the study was to recognize the supply chains used in the marketing of fruit and their products, as well as the trends of changes in this sector. The object of the research was fruit production in the world and Poland. The study presents a diagram of the supply chain in agribusiness. A method of graphic presentation of the flow of raw materials and fruit products from producers of raw materials and means of production for agriculture to the final consumer was also used. Trends of changes in the production of fruit and their preserves are presented. The research used literature on the subject, available mass statistics data and data prepared by the Institute of Economics, Agriculture and Food Economy – the National Research Institute. Based on the research, it was found that the fruit logistics chain includes thousands of farmers, many agri-food processing units, wholesale and retail food trade. It must be very flexible, constantly adapting to the challenges of a changing, globalizing market. In conditions of dispersed fruit production, success is determined by the efficiency of chain management combined with solidarity and mutual trust of all participants in the flow of goods, information and financial resources.

ASSESSMENT OF BIOSECURITY MEASURES ON COMMERCIAL PIG FARMS

Biosecurity, welfare, good manufacturing practice and risk analysisat critical control points are very important elements for intensive pig production.Planned application of biosecurity measures is crucial for the protection of pighealth and production success. In order to have an ongoing active relationship withthe existing threats it is recommended to influence the employees’ awareness ofthe real need to protect production as a whole. The key to achieving these goals areprepared biosecurity plans for each specific situation, or a specific pig farm.