Ensuring food security has become an issue of key importance to countries with different degrees of economic development, while the agricultural sector plays a strategic role in improving food availability. The aim of this paper is to identify relationships between the undernourishment scale and selected characteristics describing the agricultural sector within identified clusters of developing countries. Typological groups of countries were separated using Ward’s method. It results from the analyses that the greatest problems with maintaining food security are observed in the developing countries with a high share of agriculture in their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), adverse conditions hindering agricultural production and deficient infrastructure. Based on research results desirable and tailored strategies for food security improvement in individual clusters were developed. Promoting investments in agricultural infrastructure and extension services along with adopting measures aimed at increasing the households’ purchasing power, especially those in rural areas, appear to be key drivers for improving both food availability and food access. The paper focuses not only on identifying the reasons of undernourishment, but also contributes to recognition of the most effective ways to solve the hunger problem under a country’s unique conditions. It offers a comprehensive perspective for the policy formulation in various areas world-wide, which may be of interest to scholars and policy makers.

Although the EU and the USA are the largest players in the global agricultural market, there are only a few up-to-date comparative studies concerning their agricultural potential and performance. No comprehensive study covering all individual EU member states in relation to the USA has been provided so far. Considering that in the light of the lasting impasse in the negotiations on both international and transatlantic trade liberalization, differences in the production structures seem to be a decisive factor affecting competitiveness of the EU and the US agriculture, the paper attempts to identify the gap in the agricultural potential between individual EU countries and the USA and determine which EU countries are able to face the competitive pressure exerted by the US agricultural producers. Ward’s agglomerative hierarchical clustering method with the Euclidean distance was used to separate the most and the least competitive countries depending on their agricultural potential. Based on the conducted analyses it may be stated that the US agriculture is characterized by more rational ratios between production factors, resulting in their higher efficiency compared to the EU. The conducted typological analysis showed that thanks to the high standard of capital assets per employee leading to high labor productivity, only such countries as Germany, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, and Belgium may be considered as capable of meeting the competitive pressure exerted by the US agriculture with its greater degree of concentration and benefits from proper proportions between the production factors. A much more difficult competitive situation is observed in the EU countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Mediterranean region, specializing in land- and labor-intensive production, in which the rational utilization of the production potential is limited by the structural deficit, resulting from the fragmented agrarian structure and manifested in the low level of land and capital assets assigned to labor actively involved in the production process.

The aim of this paper is to identify the level and changes in comparative advantages of the Polish agri-food sector on the US market in 2004-2017. The following indicators were used in the comparative advantage analysis: Balassa's Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), Vollrath's Revealed Competitiveness (RC), the Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) and the Lafay's Trade Balance Index (TBI). A product mapping scheme based on the level of comparative advantage (RSCA) and export specialisation (TBI) was made. This study was supplemented with the analysis of values for the trade balance and shares of individual groups of products in the structure of Poland's exports to the US. The analyses showed that, in the years 2004-2017, Poland attained high comparative advantages in trade with these assortment groups, which were characterised by the relatively highest shares in the structure of exports to the US, as well as generated a high and frequently improving positive trade balance.

The systematically strengthening role of emerging economies has become a factor strongly determining the overall trade policy of the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA), as well as their bilateral relations. One of the initiatives aiming at the strengthening of economic ties within the transatlantic partnership, as a consequence promoting stabilization of the positions of the EU and the USA in the world economy, was related with negotiations concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The EU-USA trade talks were suspended at the end of 2016; however, the establishment of the EU-USA free trade area might be a breakthrough in the transatlantic relations, while the conclusion of this agreement would significantly determine the competitive position of the agri-food sector of these two economies, both in their bilateral relations and in world trade. In view of the above, the aim of this paper is to estimate the competitive position of the EU agri-food sector in transatlantic trade considering the conclusion of the agreement establishing the EU-USA free trade area. For this purpose, Widodo’s method of mapping products on the target market was applied. Results from the conducted analyses suggest that from 2010–2020 comparative advantages gained by the EU on the US market were sources of an advantageous export specialization. In view of the forecasted dynamic increase in agri-food export from the EU to the USA caused by possible liberalization of bilateral trade, the relatively strong competitive position of the EU on the American market might be maintained or even strengthened. However, such a situation would be determined by the regulatory cooperation progressing with the reduction of tariffs.

The aim of the paper was to examine the evolution of the importance and comparative advantages of the EU and US agri-food sector in world trade in 1995-2015. The research is based on data from UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) resources. The following indicators were used in the comparative advantage analysis: Balassa’s Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), Vollrath’s Revealed Competitiveness (RC), the Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA), and the Lafay’s Trade Balance Index (TBI). In 1995-2015, the EU countries and the US were the largest players of world trade in agri-food products. The EU countries held comparative advantages in the global market as regards exports of products of animal origin whereas the exports of cereals, preparations of cereals, oilseeds and oleaginous fruits and meat products were the source of revealed comparative advantages for the US. Both the EU countries and the US reached high comparative advantages in trade in those assortment groups which corresponded to their highest shares in global exports and generated a high, consistently increasing positive trade balance. Therefore, their comparative advantages were the source of their favourable export specialisation profile, which is consistent with the classical comparative costs principle.

Background Breastfeeding rates in Ireland are among the lowest in the world. Improving the prevalence of breastfeeding is an objective of the Irish Health Service Executive, with the recognition that this would improve public health. Polish people represent the largest immigrant group in Ireland, and Polish women are more likely to initiate breastfeeding than Irish women. Research aims This study had two aims: (1) to describe the breastfeeding experiences and attitudes among Polish mothers living in Ireland, and (2) to explore similarities and differences in infant feeding experiences, attitudes, and beliefs among Polish and Irish women, as perceived by Polish women. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Polish with Polish mothers ( N = 16) who had lived in Ireland for 10 years or less. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Coding was a cyclical process; codes were amended and refined through iterative reading of the transcripts. Themes were developed through categorization of codes and via in-depth discussion between two analysts. Results Three major themes were developed after analyzing the data. First, there is no universal correct way to provide support for infant feeding; women would like individualized support based on their infant-feeding decisions. Second, breastfeeding is an inherent part of Polish culture and formula feeding is part of Irish culture. Finally, the Irish social environment is supportive of breastfeeding and breastfeeding in public is acceptable in Ireland. Conclusions Although the Irish social environment is supportive of breastfeeding, the infant-formula culture is a barrier to breastfeeding. Future research should explore ways to change societal attitudes towards breastfeeding in Ireland.

Synopsis. Celem artyku u by a ocena zdolno ci konkurencyjnej g ównych bran przemys u spo ywczego UE, USA i Kanady na rynku wiatowym, z wykorzystaniem wybranych wska ników ekonomicznych i handlowych. Zakres czasowy analiz obj lata 2007-2016. W badaniach wykorzystano dane urz dów i agencji statystycznych UE (Eurostat), USA (US Census Bureau, FAS/USDA) i Kanady (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada). Na podstawie przeprowadzonych analiz mo na stwierdzi , e poprawa pozycji konkurencyjnej bran unijnego przemys u spo ywczego w wi kszym stopniu by a determinowana skal aktywno ci w handlu wiatowym (rosn cymi udzia ami w globalnym eksporcie), natomiast o przewagach konkurencyjnych przemys u spo ywczego USA i Kanady decydowa y przewagi o charakterze ekonomicznym, zwi zane z popraw ekonomicznych wyników dzia alno ci przedsi biorstw danej bran y, jej udzia u w tworzeniu realnej warto ci dodanej przemys u spo ywczego oraz produktywno ci pracy.

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