The particularities of agriculture, as a sector which ensures food supply, result from many factors, including the multilateral interaction between the environment and human activity. The extent of human intervention in the food production process is usually measured with the amount of capital expenditure. Therefore, the food production potential and the resulting food security depend on both natural and economic factors. This paper identifies the current status of food security in different countries around the world, considering both aspects (physical and economic availability) combined together. The variables published by FAO were used together with a variable estimated based on the author’s own methodology to identify 8 groups of countries characterized by economic development level, net trade in agricultural products, and selected variables related to agriculture and food situation. As shown by this study, the degree to which food security is ensured with domestic supply varies strongly across the globe. Domestic production provides a foundation for food security in wealthy countries, usually located in areas with favorable conditions for agriculture (including North America, Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan) and in countries which, though characterized by a relatively small area of arable land per capita, demonstrate high production intensity (mainly European countries). International trade largely contributes to food security in Middle East and North African countries as well as in selected South American countries which are net importers of food products. The most problematic food situation continues to affect Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.
One of the trends in today’s tourism sector is the development of environmentally-friendly tourism activities which rely on natural resources of cultural heritage and on biodiversity. This is definitely the case for agritourism, a form of rural tourism. The purpose of this paper is to identify the development aspects of Polish agritourism with particular emphasis on natural and cultural attractiveness. To demonstrate the relationship between agritourism activities of Polish farms and the cultural and natural attractiveness, the Hellwig’s synthetic development indicator was used. As shown by research, the cultural and natural attractiveness of a destination is an important exogenous development factor. Another finding was that the intensified efforts undertaken by the farmers to access EU funds were not focused on areas with valuable natural or cultural resources and an untapped agritourism potential; instead, they were oriented at regions dominated by semi-subsistence or family farms. For a large part of farmers, the new form of support is about to become a source of additional incomes.
Artykuł jest poświęcony problematyce relacji pomiędzy rolnictwem i środowiskiem, rozpatrywanych w kontekście przemian ustrojowych, jakie nastąpiły w Europie Środkowej i Wschodniej. Na tle ogólnych rozważań na temat znaczenia czynników przyrodniczych i antropogennych (w tym głównie polityki) badaniom zostały poddane europejskie kraje postkomunistyczne, z których część przystąpiła do UE, a część jest poza nią. Tłem badań były państwa UE-15 oraz średnie wartości dla świata. Analizy objęły okres 1993–2013, a więc lata, kiedy nieprzerwanie istniały wszystkie omawiane kraje. Posługując się autorską metodyką, wskazano zmiany w zakresie produktywności rolnictwa (rozumianej jako ilość wytworzonej energii rolniczej w przeliczeniu na 1 ha) oraz jego oddziaływania na środowisko, określonego poprzez wielkość emisji gazów cieplarnianych. W wyniku przeprowadzonych analiz wskazano na zasadniczy wpływ czynnika demograficznego oraz przyrodniczego na intensywność produkcji rolniczej oraz skalę emisji. Możliwość zaspokojenia bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego zależy natomiast od stosowanych technologii, a pośrednio od poziomu ekonomicznego rozwoju kraju. Zwrócono uwagę na odmienne podejście do rozwoju rolnictwa w krajach transformacji ustrojowej będących członkami UE oraz pozostającymi poza nią. W obszarze zrównoważenia środowiskowego zauważono największe postępy dokonane przez kraje, które po zmianie ustroju nie przystąpiły do UE. W tym kontekście podjęto rozważania na temat pozapolitycznych czynników kształtujących relacje pomiędzy rolnictwem i środowiskiem.
The paper covers the issues of a basic social need, namely alimentation. The aim of the research is to evaluate the energetic food self-suffi ciency and its changes in the European Union countries. The research was conducted using the author's methodology basing on the amount of energy produced and consumed in 1990-2009. The analyses proved that within the considered period, the European Union became an importer of net energy comprised in agricultural products. The excess in produced energy was mainly observed by the countries of European lowland. Moreover, in most of the countries, a decrease in the analysed factor was observed when compared with the 1990-1999 period. On the other hand, in relation to the new member states, the increase in food energetic self-suffi ciency was observed. The conclusion has been d rawn that, while the general food selfsuffi ciency is mainly determined by environmental factors, its dynamics is primarily infl uenced by the factors connected with agricultural policy.
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