Material Investments as a Factor of Restructuring Small Agricultural Holdings with Non-agricultural Activities

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyse material investments carried out between 2004 and 2015 by small agricultural holdings owners conducting at the same time non-agricultural activities and their plans regarding the future of their activities. The empirical material consisted of results of own survey-based research conducted in 2015 among farmers from Małopolskie Province owning agricultural holdings of 1-5 ha of arable land and conducting non-agricultural activities at the same time. Analysing the directions of devoting resources to investments, it was found that these persons usually invested both in agricultural and non-agricultural activities; some regularities of directions of devoting resources depending on the type of non-agricultural activity can be observed though. In general, more resources were devoted to non-agricultural activity. The research showed that both the nature of investment decisions of the farmers and their declarations demonstrate willingness to conduct agricultural and non-agricultural activities simultaneously.