Farms in Poland come in a wide variety of sizes, and the effect of farm size on the profitability of labor has not been sufficiently investigated. This paper takes a fresh look at the model for labor profitability determinants of family farms in Poland in relation to their economic size. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that determine the labor profitability index in farms of various economic size classes (classes ES1–ES5). In the analysis of factors shaping the profitability of labor in family farms, a panel analysis was applied. Family farm income expressed per family labor unit was adopted as the dependent variable. The following variables were used as explanatory variables: (1) macroeconomic index of price relations (“price gap”); unemployment; average monthly gross wages and salaries; inflation; (2) technical-agricultural production efficiency index; (3) microeconomic ratio of total assets to agricultural land; technical equipment for work; land-to-labor ratio; debt ratio, subsidy ratio, and investment effort. A diversified influence of selected factors determining the level of profitability of labor in agriculture in particular groups of farms was found. The econometric models developed also indicate different strategies that are adopted by farmers on various farms. There is no single solution here; strategies for improving the profitability of work must take into account the specificity of a given entity. The models estimated indicate the necessity of using other mechanisms and tools of agricultural policy for farms of various economic sizes. It should be expected that, in the future, there will be a dichotomous development of farms. Medium-sized farms will become larger and economically effective, and smaller farms will perform residential functions, with the disappearing function of agricultural production.

The development of energy production from renewable sources includes the production of energy from photovoltaic installations by prosumers. In Europe, RES development is driven by political goals and requires subsidies during the deployment period, at least as long as the cost of renewable electricity does not reaches grid parity. The study attempts to determine the importance of factors in the development of energy production by prosumers from PV installations in Polish regions. In 2019, the ‘Moj Prad’ program was introduced, applying subsidies to investment costs and the settlement of energy production in the net-metering system. Almost 900 thousand prosumer PV installations were built by the end of 2021, with a total capacity of 5.9 GW. Solar energy share grew from 0.1 to 2.1%. Spatial econometrics models were use in research to determine factors of prosumer PV systems development in Poland (at NUTS-2). Spatial regimes were found in the studied regions, as indicated by a positive autocorrelation (0.75). Considering the pseudo-R-square co-efficient, we can conclude that the spatial error, i.e., factors not included in the GNS model, constitutes approximately 10%. The economic variables included in the Mansky model, i.e., level of salaries and GDP, explain 90% of the variability of installed PV capacity (Nagelkerke pseudo-R-squared value is 0.906). The level of development of prosumer photovoltaic installations (in W per capita) in regions depends primarily on economic factors represented by the level of salaries in a given region. With the increase in salaries by one unit, we also have an increase in installed power capacity in watts per person by 3.52. Surprisingly, the region’s overall wealth did not matter, as the relative number of installations in regions with lower GDP was higher than in others. One can explain that the individual income of households is more important for increasing the number of prosumer installations than the income of the regional economy. The increase in the number of installations in one region contributed to the subsequent increase in their number in neighboring regions.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the changes in the labour efficiency in agriculture in Poland in terms of work technical equipment and technical progres. It was found that the rate of technical progress and the rate of increase of work technical equipment explain in about 60% the changes in labor efficiency rates in agriculture. The estimated Hicks-neutral technical change in the analyzed period was 2.04%. And 1% increase (ceteris paribus ) in work technical equipment in agriculture would lead to approximately a 0.85% increase in labour efficiency.

The aim of the paper is to analyse changes in the efficiency of the use of the labour factor and changes in the relation of production factors regarding the investment outlay level in individual voivodeships, in Poland, in 2002-2015. The research used the public statistics panel data from 2002-2015. An increase in technical labour equipment, the level of investment outlays per one employed person in agriculture and an improvement in the efficiency of using the labour factor was found. At the same time, considerable regional diversification of investment activities, work equipment in fixed assets and labour productivity is still observed in Poland. The improvement of labour efficiency in agriculture is positively influenced by an increase in work technical equipment and the level of completed investments per one employee.

The purpose of the work was the evaluation of changes in the effectiveness of the use of labor in agriculture against a background of changes in the relation of production factors. The analysis is presented on a regional basis. The empirical material consisted of CSO statistical data from 2000-2016. The following diagnostic variables were used for analysis: (1) the value of gross agricultural output per one employed in agriculture, (2) technical work equipment – the gross value of fixed assets in agriculture per one employed in agriculture, (3) the number of people working in agriculture per 100 hectares of agricultural land (AL), (4) technical equipment of agricultural land – the gross value of fixed assets in agriculture per 1 hectare of AL. Based on a set of diagnostic features describing individual voivodships in Poland, their classification was performed using the cluster analysis of the Ward method. A decrease in the technical equipment of labor was recorded, and an increase in the technical equipment of agricultural land and the number of people working in agriculture per 100 hectares of AL. At the same time, these changes varied in individual groups of voivodships. Analysis of regional differentiation demonstrates that, in voivodships with much more favorable relations of production, labour efficiency was higher. In addition, in these voivodships, the average annual rate of changes in labor efficiency was also at a higher level. This may result in a growing disparity in the level of farming efficiency.

The increase in energy demand requires urgent investments in sustainable energy. It is vital to the success of the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The article aimed to assess the situation of the European Union countries with regard to energy use. Indicators related to the implementation of SDG7 and environmental and resource productivity of the economy were adopted for the study. The research presented in this article fits into contemporary debates on the effectiveness of implementing one of the SDG7: ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. The analysis included 26 countries that have been in the European Union since 2010. The study’s originality lies in the use of primary data obtained from the Eurostat database for three research periods: 2010, 2015, and 2020, which will allow for assessing the situation of the surveyed EU countries in the area of energy use. In order to achieve the research objective, selected methods of descriptive statistics and vector measurement were used. The application of a vector measure made it possible to rank the studied countries in terms of efficient energy use. Based on the results obtained, there is a significant variation in space and time in the evolution of the energy system of the European Union’s member states toward sustainable development. Rational energy use is primarily the domain of north-western European countries, with Sweden and Austria always leading the rankings. However, this does not mean that in these countries, in spite of their high position in the ranking, the levels of some indicators in 2015 and 2020 as compared with those in 2010 did not deteriorate. Due to this fact, attention should be paid to the energy use process and identification of signals responsible for deteriorating the outcomes. The research results can help diagnose the results obtained so far and correct the European Union’s climate and energy policy in the future.

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the conditions of transport and the welfare of fatteners as well as to assess transport losses depending on the distance of transport and the annual production scale of fatteners. The material comprised data describing 120 transport operations during which 4300 fatteners were transported for slaughter. The study shows that animals were transported both by means of specialized vehicles as well as by adapted means of transport, mainly agricultural aggregates. Specialized vehicles were more often used in long-distance transport and from farms with a larger annual production scale. The research showed numerous cases of exceeding admissible norms of the number of fatteners during transport, mainly in the transport carried out by the largest producers. The study proved that the percentage of tired and injured animals rose as the distance of transport increased. The greatest economical losses resulting from the decrease in the welfare of the fatteners per one transported animal was observed in transport at the longest distance and from farms with the largest production scale.