The agrarian structure in Poland is dominated by small farms; the large share of these is a result of historical consequences. The economy has pushed small farms toward economic efficiency, which in farming often translates into increasing the scale of production. The primary objective of this research was to present the directions of the changes in the number of small farms in Central and Eastern Poland and to indicate the factors determining their functioning and development. The research was based on a random sample selection from rural municipalities, villages and small farms. The researchers collected 19 completed surveys from municipal agricultural officers, 75 surveys from village mayors and 116 surveys from small and active farms. The data from the farm surveys was analysed using k-mean cluster analyses and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to distinguish farms into homogenous groups. Three types of farms were identified: “hobby”, “two-occupation” and “professional” farms. The research shows that in the municipalities of Central and Eastern Poland, the number of landowners (over 1 ha of arable land) paying agricultural tax increased by 9% between 2005 and 2017. A significant gap was identified between the number of “official farmers” and “active” farmers. In the farm category surveyed, “active” farmers numbered only 33% of all farming entities. The surveys confirmed that the development of small farms is particularly influenced by external factors (EU funding; national benefits), rather than internal (entrepreneurial) factors. An in-depth survey of farmers, municipal agricultural officers and village mayors shows that “professional” farmers (Cluster 0) are expected to invest, develop and innovate. Farmers managing “hobby” and “two-occupation” farms have a reserved attitude towards investment and their objective is to maximise the benefits related to the arming status. In the authors’ opinions, “professional” farms have the highest probability of being economically viable, while others tend to focus on the provision of public goods related to financial support.
Abstract. The study attempts to assess production factor and the economic performance of small farms in the European Union. A small farm was defined in accordance with the methodology used by Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), with economic size from 8 thou. up to 25 thou euro.The conducted analysis indicates a significant differentiation in the resources possessed (land, labour and capital) and achieved economic and production results. The highest labour productivity (VA/AWU) was achieved by Danish farms (20.7 thousand euros), while the highest rate of asset productivity (0.78) was reached by French farms. In the analysed sample of small farms, the farms with "fieldcrops" orientation prevailed. All analysed production types of small farms, despite significant differences in possessed resources, achieved positive income from farming activities. They were characterized by very low indebtedness of own capital, reached a positive balance of cash from operating activities and performed a negative asset replacement rate.
In Central and Eastern Europe countries, the sugar industry has undergone a number of structural changes in the post-communist era, especially after accession into the EU in 2004, which implemented a sugar market reform in 2006 and then ended the sugar quota system in 2017. From a long-term perspective, EU sugar industry is undergoing a rapid development – increasing productivity, rising concentration as well as changes in market and regulated environments. For the Polish and Czech sugar industry, changes in the industry concentration can be identified by analysing the development of beet areas, quotas, beet yields, revenues and profits of the sugar industry players. This helps to better define the position of the sugar industry in the whole value chain in Poland and in the Czech Republic. It was noted that the position of the Czech sugar factories in the value chain has increased significantly. In Poland, market concentration at the level of sugar factories has remained stable.
Cooperation between entities can be the basis for improved competitiveness. The Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were able to draw on EU funds to support the formation of producer groups. Main objective was to investigate whether the funds have led to an increase of value added of products placed on the market. In the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic during the reporting period the sum of 44 million EUR was provided to support the establishment of marketing organizations, 305 producer groups were supported. Many of the supported entities are no longer active. In the Czech Republic, only 15 entities are still operating, but they do not have a significant impact on the increase of value added of the agricultural sector. In the Slovak Republic, entities supported in the first programming period (2004–2006) have a higher share of the generated value added. During the second funding period (2007–2013), the supported groups showed a negative value added. Given the characteristics of supported groups, the number of successfully supported groups, the reported features and the total value of generated value added, it can be suggested that most of the entities were established due to the relative ease of fundraising.
Summary The impact of boiling, baking and fermentation treatment on the phenolic acid profile, antioxidant capacity (AC) and angiotensin‐1 converting enzyme (ACE) activity of white beetroot was investigated. The phenolic acids were analysed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (micro‐HPLC‐MS/MS), while AC and ACE were determined by in vitro assays. Phenolic acids concentration was between 87.55 and 100.98 ng g−1 d.m. Ferulic and p‐coumaric acids were the main compounds among the nine phenolic acids identified. Boiling increased the phenolic acid content by 3%; however, baking and fermentation reduced the level of these acids by approximately 6% and 11%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between the results of all AC assays and sinapic and caffeic acid content. The ACE inhibitory activity of white beetroot products may be attributable to the combined effect of the syringic, 4‐hydroxybenzoic, ferulic and p‐coumaric acids. Our study indicates that white beetroot as a novel product may be a valuable source of phenolic acids and functional properties.
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