M. Pělucha, Jana Nováková, Alexander Shemetev, J. Kouřilová
Abstract The challenges of new rural technological possibilities in the 21st century resonate with agriculture. These represent, in particularly the improving availability of ICT infrastructure and the digitisation of socioeconomic processes. This paper focuses on exploring issues related to the potential change in the business behaviour of agricultural holdings and farmers following digitization and the use of ICT. The empirical research was carried out in the territory of the Local Action Group (LAS) Železnohorský region, which is a typical inner rural periphery with a strong agricultural base. The paper presents both the results of an exploratory survey and also develops a specific empirical model according to the improved Cobb-Douglas production function with specifics of the agrarian sector (i.e., including the role of agricultural subsidies and also the application of advanced ICT). The results in the selected rural micro-region showed that the process of digitisation has been very marginal in the models of functioning of the relevant agricultural entities. The current prevailing “techno-optimist approach” in EU strategic planning needs to be overcome by more intensive and comprehensive support for the digitisation process in rural peripheral areas. Particularly, this involves a necessary combination of support for investment in ICT infrastructure and new technologies with more intensive support for digital literacy and knowledge empowerment, which will enable more intensive exploitation of the potential and possibilities of digital technologies and virtual environments.
{"title":"Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic","authors":"M. Pělucha, Jana Nováková, Alexander Shemetev, J. Kouřilová","doi":"10.2478/euco-2023-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The challenges of new rural technological possibilities in the 21st century resonate with agriculture. These represent, in particularly the improving availability of ICT infrastructure and the digitisation of socioeconomic processes. This paper focuses on exploring issues related to the potential change in the business behaviour of agricultural holdings and farmers following digitization and the use of ICT. The empirical research was carried out in the territory of the Local Action Group (LAS) Železnohorský region, which is a typical inner rural periphery with a strong agricultural base. The paper presents both the results of an exploratory survey and also develops a specific empirical model according to the improved Cobb-Douglas production function with specifics of the agrarian sector (i.e., including the role of agricultural subsidies and also the application of advanced ICT). The results in the selected rural micro-region showed that the process of digitisation has been very marginal in the models of functioning of the relevant agricultural entities. The current prevailing “techno-optimist approach” in EU strategic planning needs to be overcome by more intensive and comprehensive support for the digitisation process in rural peripheral areas. Particularly, this involves a necessary combination of support for investment in ICT infrastructure and new technologies with more intensive support for digital literacy and knowledge empowerment, which will enable more intensive exploitation of the potential and possibilities of digital technologies and virtual environments.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"15 1","pages":"99 - 123"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45186341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francisco Navarro Valverde, F. Pagliacci, Dana Salpina
Abstract This study compares two EU quality-label schemes in Italy and Spain: Prosciutto Veneto Berico Euganeo PDO and Jamón de Trevélez PGI, respectively. It aims to demonstrate that social capital plays an important role in both establishing and managing geographical indications (GIs), and that obtaining this label reinforces existing networks, so boosting rural development. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with 7 key informants, the analysis of institutional information and legislation, and of statistical data on the socioeconomic structure of both geographical areas. The research reveals two quite different experiences in obtaining EU quality labels, regardless of the fact that the products, places and people involved in this process have various aspects in common. This study illustrates how the advantages resulting from these high-quality labels and their impact on rural development can vary in relation to the level of social capital and the strength of local networks.
摘要本研究比较了意大利和西班牙的两种欧盟质量标签方案:Prosciutto Veneto Berico Euganeo PDO和Jamón de Trevélez PGI。它旨在证明社会资本在建立和管理地理标志方面发挥着重要作用,获得这一标签可以加强现有的网络,从而促进农村发展。这项研究基于对7名关键信息提供者的半结构化访谈,对机构信息和立法的分析,以及对两个地理区域社会经济结构的统计数据的分析。这项研究揭示了在获得欧盟质量标签方面的两种截然不同的经历,尽管参与这一过程的产品、地点和人员在各个方面都有共同点。这项研究说明了这些高质量标签带来的优势及其对农村发展的影响如何随着社会资本水平和地方网络的强度而变化。
{"title":"The Relationship Between Social Capital and Geographical Indications. A Comparative Case Study of Prosciutto Veneto Berico Euganeo PDO (Italy) and Jamón de Trevélez PGI (Spain)","authors":"Francisco Navarro Valverde, F. Pagliacci, Dana Salpina","doi":"10.2478/euco-2023-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0007","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study compares two EU quality-label schemes in Italy and Spain: Prosciutto Veneto Berico Euganeo PDO and Jamón de Trevélez PGI, respectively. It aims to demonstrate that social capital plays an important role in both establishing and managing geographical indications (GIs), and that obtaining this label reinforces existing networks, so boosting rural development. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with 7 key informants, the analysis of institutional information and legislation, and of statistical data on the socioeconomic structure of both geographical areas. The research reveals two quite different experiences in obtaining EU quality labels, regardless of the fact that the products, places and people involved in this process have various aspects in common. This study illustrates how the advantages resulting from these high-quality labels and their impact on rural development can vary in relation to the level of social capital and the strength of local networks.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"15 1","pages":"124 - 148"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49429755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The aim of the research was a spatial and functional analysis of the accessibility of retail food environments in relation to the inhabitants of dispersed settlements who are socially and geographically disadvantaged in purchasing g food. The consumer behavior and food shopping habits of the inhabitants of these areas largely depend on the spatial and functional characteristics of the dispersed settlement and the surrounding area. In terms of food consumption, an important determinant is the availability of convenience stores, defined by the economic and physical ability to access food sources. The ability to access stores is strongly influenced by transport options and transport infrastructure. The investigated area belongs to a group of specific areas with dispersed settlements. This type of settlement, typical in the mountains of Slovakia and on the border with the Czech Republic, can also be found around the town of Nová Baňa, located in the west of central Slovakia. This area consists of two towns and 12 municipalities and is referred to as the “Novobanská štálová oblasť ”. These specific territories are characterized by a lack of access to fresh and affordable food, which can contribute to social disparities in diet and endanger people's health with various serious diseases. Spatial identification of areas with difficult access to food stores in the Novobanská štálová area has been a pioneering attempt to visualize areas with the highest demand for improvement in food access, and this process may be helpful in identifying other areas with similar characteristics. The methods utilized represent an accessible, transparent and reproducible process for assessing the accessibility of grocery stores. These methods can be used for cost-effective, periodic surveillance and meaningful engagement with communities, retailers and policy makers. The conclusions and results of our research should positively contribute to the growing debate on the inequality of living conditions and marginalization of rural municipalities.
{"title":"Shopping Behavior and Access to Food in the Areas of Slovakia with Dispersed Settlements: A Case Study","authors":"Miroslava Trembošová, I. Jakab, Pavel Forgáč","doi":"10.2478/euco-2023-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The aim of the research was a spatial and functional analysis of the accessibility of retail food environments in relation to the inhabitants of dispersed settlements who are socially and geographically disadvantaged in purchasing g food. The consumer behavior and food shopping habits of the inhabitants of these areas largely depend on the spatial and functional characteristics of the dispersed settlement and the surrounding area. In terms of food consumption, an important determinant is the availability of convenience stores, defined by the economic and physical ability to access food sources. The ability to access stores is strongly influenced by transport options and transport infrastructure. The investigated area belongs to a group of specific areas with dispersed settlements. This type of settlement, typical in the mountains of Slovakia and on the border with the Czech Republic, can also be found around the town of Nová Baňa, located in the west of central Slovakia. This area consists of two towns and 12 municipalities and is referred to as the “Novobanská štálová oblasť ”. These specific territories are characterized by a lack of access to fresh and affordable food, which can contribute to social disparities in diet and endanger people's health with various serious diseases. Spatial identification of areas with difficult access to food stores in the Novobanská štálová area has been a pioneering attempt to visualize areas with the highest demand for improvement in food access, and this process may be helpful in identifying other areas with similar characteristics. The methods utilized represent an accessible, transparent and reproducible process for assessing the accessibility of grocery stores. These methods can be used for cost-effective, periodic surveillance and meaningful engagement with communities, retailers and policy makers. The conclusions and results of our research should positively contribute to the growing debate on the inequality of living conditions and marginalization of rural municipalities.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"15 1","pages":"66 - 98"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44156472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Farm to School (FTS) programs is a type of Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) that generate new economic opportunities for farmers while enhancing communities’ food security strategies, by improving the access to a safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable diet, through a sustainable food system that maximizes self-reliance and social justice. However, the success of FTS is highly dependent on regional characteristics, and its implementation must deal with diverse views and opposing interests. In particular, farmers' willingness to engage in FTS may be affected by the need to adapt their practices to the demand of school canteens. The estimate of a logistic model is used in this study to analyse the factors that impact farmers' motivation to participate in FTS in low-density areas of Portugal, showing that market-oriented vegetable and fruit producers, living further away from the city are more likely to join FTS.
{"title":"Farm-to-School Programs in Portuguese Low-Density Rural Areas: How to Engage Farmers","authors":"I. Dinis, R. Guilherme","doi":"10.2478/euco-2023-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Farm to School (FTS) programs is a type of Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) that generate new economic opportunities for farmers while enhancing communities’ food security strategies, by improving the access to a safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable diet, through a sustainable food system that maximizes self-reliance and social justice. However, the success of FTS is highly dependent on regional characteristics, and its implementation must deal with diverse views and opposing interests. In particular, farmers' willingness to engage in FTS may be affected by the need to adapt their practices to the demand of school canteens. The estimate of a logistic model is used in this study to analyse the factors that impact farmers' motivation to participate in FTS in low-density areas of Portugal, showing that market-oriented vegetable and fruit producers, living further away from the city are more likely to join FTS.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"15 1","pages":"18 - 33"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44562616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Regional development is very much conditioned by the quality and quantity of internal resources, as well as the level of use that is or can be made of these. Local resources are often features, factors and phenomena in a defined territory that are unique in some way, of social or economic utility, and in a position to help steer development opportunities. They (can) play a particular role in regions whose development has remained weak, and in peripheral areas, given the possibility of them becoming major factors behind growth, if only they can be activated in an appropriate way. Against that background, the main aim of the work detailed here has been to conduct a structural reconnaissance of a given set of local resources and then to have these evaluated in the context of the potential development of new local products. As they capitalise on features of a multiplicity of local resources, the products referred to here may manifest a higher level of development potential. Consecutive parts of this study thus offer a conceptualisation of how such a new local product may be constructed, along with a specific diagnosis of the resources that can be involved, as these are manifested in the Lubelskie Voivodeship, located in SE Poland. Concrete proposals for local products are then made, in order to further illustrate the concept.
{"title":"The Integration of Local Resources in Search of a New Product – on the Example of the Lublin Region (Poland)","authors":"Jerzy Bański","doi":"10.2478/euco-2022-0037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0037","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Regional development is very much conditioned by the quality and quantity of internal resources, as well as the level of use that is or can be made of these. Local resources are often features, factors and phenomena in a defined territory that are unique in some way, of social or economic utility, and in a position to help steer development opportunities. They (can) play a particular role in regions whose development has remained weak, and in peripheral areas, given the possibility of them becoming major factors behind growth, if only they can be activated in an appropriate way. Against that background, the main aim of the work detailed here has been to conduct a structural reconnaissance of a given set of local resources and then to have these evaluated in the context of the potential development of new local products. As they capitalise on features of a multiplicity of local resources, the products referred to here may manifest a higher level of development potential. Consecutive parts of this study thus offer a conceptualisation of how such a new local product may be constructed, along with a specific diagnosis of the resources that can be involved, as these are manifested in the Lubelskie Voivodeship, located in SE Poland. Concrete proposals for local products are then made, in order to further illustrate the concept.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"14 1","pages":"753 - 769"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69203448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Since the beginning of the 1990s, the LEADER programme has been implemented to promote positive development in rural areas in the EU through bottom-up approaches and community engagement. Lately, concerns have been raised about the capability of LEADER to foster social innovation and provide adequate room to manoeuvre for communities to set agendas locally. This paper attempts to engage in this discussion by analysing the implementation of rural development programmes, local ideas and experiences with LEADER and social innovation in four LEADER regions in Upper Austria (AT). Furthermore, the analysis outlines the projects implemented through LEADER to evaluate the possibilities for local agenda-setting. The research shows both the success of LEADER as a tool to instigate bottom-up and neoendogenous development and the need for additional institutional frameworks for community consultations if inclusive and forward-looking visions of rural development are to be fostered.
{"title":"Assessing the Potential of Social Innovation and Local Agenda-Setting within Rural Development Programmes: Insights from Austrian Leader Regions","authors":"S. W. Stoustrup","doi":"10.2478/euco-2022-0032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0032","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Since the beginning of the 1990s, the LEADER programme has been implemented to promote positive development in rural areas in the EU through bottom-up approaches and community engagement. Lately, concerns have been raised about the capability of LEADER to foster social innovation and provide adequate room to manoeuvre for communities to set agendas locally. This paper attempts to engage in this discussion by analysing the implementation of rural development programmes, local ideas and experiences with LEADER and social innovation in four LEADER regions in Upper Austria (AT). Furthermore, the analysis outlines the projects implemented through LEADER to evaluate the possibilities for local agenda-setting. The research shows both the success of LEADER as a tool to instigate bottom-up and neoendogenous development and the need for additional institutional frameworks for community consultations if inclusive and forward-looking visions of rural development are to be fostered.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"14 1","pages":"638 - 657"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45589216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract According to the actual data of Ukraine, an analytical study of the main indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals 2 (SDG 2) was conducted on their impact on ensuring the achievement of the SDG. Depending on the type of indicator and the availability of information, the study period covers from 5 to 20 years. The study argues that food and agriculture are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, proves and establishes key aspects of the SDG’s relationship with food security and agriculture in the global dimension and in Ukraine. In general, Ukraine has the same problems in the implementation of the SDGs and their relationship with the SDG2 as in the world, which allows the use of already developed international protocols and tools to improve the situation and ensure the achievement of the set goals. At the same time, there are a number of differences that require significant efforts from national and regional actors in solving the issues facing Ukraine in achieving the goals of sustainable development. First, the presence of contradictions, the causes of which often lie in the plane of political and/or economic corruption, and therefore it is difficult to resolve them. Second, outdated management system and the huge resistance of this system to any reforms, especially in the field of public administration. Particular attention should also be paid to established facts concerning significant differences in the values of the analyzed indicators in relation to rural and urban areas in Ukraine. The content of these processes requires deeper research and scientific discussion in further research, because only the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships will allow us to develop an effective strategy to eliminate the existing inequality for residents of urban and rural areas.
{"title":"Key Aspects of the Relationship Between Sustainable Development Goals, Food Security and Agricultures in Ukraine","authors":"O. Kotykova, O. Pohorielova, M. Babych","doi":"10.2478/euco-2022-0036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0036","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract According to the actual data of Ukraine, an analytical study of the main indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals 2 (SDG 2) was conducted on their impact on ensuring the achievement of the SDG. Depending on the type of indicator and the availability of information, the study period covers from 5 to 20 years. The study argues that food and agriculture are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, proves and establishes key aspects of the SDG’s relationship with food security and agriculture in the global dimension and in Ukraine. In general, Ukraine has the same problems in the implementation of the SDGs and their relationship with the SDG2 as in the world, which allows the use of already developed international protocols and tools to improve the situation and ensure the achievement of the set goals. At the same time, there are a number of differences that require significant efforts from national and regional actors in solving the issues facing Ukraine in achieving the goals of sustainable development. First, the presence of contradictions, the causes of which often lie in the plane of political and/or economic corruption, and therefore it is difficult to resolve them. Second, outdated management system and the huge resistance of this system to any reforms, especially in the field of public administration. Particular attention should also be paid to established facts concerning significant differences in the values of the analyzed indicators in relation to rural and urban areas in Ukraine. The content of these processes requires deeper research and scientific discussion in further research, because only the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships will allow us to develop an effective strategy to eliminate the existing inequality for residents of urban and rural areas.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"14 1","pages":"721 - 752"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46202683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The author analyses positionings in space, time and society that inhabitants of Sauris and Timau, German language pockets in Friuli, construct in qualitative interviews about food. Positionings of the self are immanent when interviewees speak about, represent and relate to times they, their parents or grandparents have experienced, as well as frequented localities and known persons. Relations, which outreach the places, are established through the preparation and consumption of specific foods because it evokes memories, emotions, feelings, and transmits values. Dishes with dialectal German names that are associated with the place and food, which had been consumed daily in the agrarian past became particular. In order to negotiate meanings and to identify with places and people, common food preparation, consumption and reflections are necessary, and individual interpretations need to be accepted.
{"title":"Food Relates: Positionings in Space, Time and Society in the German Language Pockets of Sauris and Timau (Italy)","authors":"Leonie Hasenauer","doi":"10.2478/euco-2022-0035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0035","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The author analyses positionings in space, time and society that inhabitants of Sauris and Timau, German language pockets in Friuli, construct in qualitative interviews about food. Positionings of the self are immanent when interviewees speak about, represent and relate to times they, their parents or grandparents have experienced, as well as frequented localities and known persons. Relations, which outreach the places, are established through the preparation and consumption of specific foods because it evokes memories, emotions, feelings, and transmits values. Dishes with dialectal German names that are associated with the place and food, which had been consumed daily in the agrarian past became particular. In order to negotiate meanings and to identify with places and people, common food preparation, consumption and reflections are necessary, and individual interpretations need to be accepted.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"14 1","pages":"696 - 720"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44264598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The present paper focuses on farmers’ strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm resilience, which underlines the role of capacity and abilities as well as different actions undertaken in difficult situations, this study proposes an analytical framework of farmers’ coping short-term micro-strategies in relation to external crises, on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account academic literature, qualitative data gathered from fruit and vegetable producers in different regions in Poland and the information from sector experts, the paper outlines the varied consequences of the pandemic for farms, and also farmers’ diverse reactions to them. The findings from this study suggests that the analysed farms’ relative resilience to the crisis was achieved thanks to their available economic and social resources and the actions they undertook. The above-mentioned resources and activities were considered in the study primarily using the relational (process-based) approach, focusing on the ways of their creation, maintenance and adaptation. At the same time, the empirical material under analysis has shown that the adaptive measures adopted were short-term and did not respond to the farms’ permanent problems, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significantly. It is assumed that presented results and proposed framework of farmers’ micro-strategies, which were taken during the pandemic, might be useful for future studies focusing on various external shocks as well as for research to be conducted in other CEE countries due to many common contextual factors that has shaped food practices and institutional arrangements.
{"title":"Looking Forward to When it is Over: Reactions and Short-Term Coping Micro-Strategies of Polish Fruit and Vegetable Farmers during the Covid-19 Pandemic","authors":"M. Dudek, Ruta Śpiewak","doi":"10.2478/euco-2022-0038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0038","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The present paper focuses on farmers’ strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm resilience, which underlines the role of capacity and abilities as well as different actions undertaken in difficult situations, this study proposes an analytical framework of farmers’ coping short-term micro-strategies in relation to external crises, on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account academic literature, qualitative data gathered from fruit and vegetable producers in different regions in Poland and the information from sector experts, the paper outlines the varied consequences of the pandemic for farms, and also farmers’ diverse reactions to them. The findings from this study suggests that the analysed farms’ relative resilience to the crisis was achieved thanks to their available economic and social resources and the actions they undertook. The above-mentioned resources and activities were considered in the study primarily using the relational (process-based) approach, focusing on the ways of their creation, maintenance and adaptation. At the same time, the empirical material under analysis has shown that the adaptive measures adopted were short-term and did not respond to the farms’ permanent problems, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significantly. It is assumed that presented results and proposed framework of farmers’ micro-strategies, which were taken during the pandemic, might be useful for future studies focusing on various external shocks as well as for research to be conducted in other CEE countries due to many common contextual factors that has shaped food practices and institutional arrangements.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"14 1","pages":"770 - 789"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46501284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Zhllima, D. Imami, J. Nam, P. Shoshi, Irena Gjika
Abstract The Albanian agriculture sector is deeply affected by climate change. To cope with climate change, it is necessary to understand its consequences. The views of agriculture extension service experts are crucial in improving farmers’ understanding and resilience, especially when farming practices are poorly adapted to the changing climate. This paper analyses the risks from climate change and the adaptive capacity of farmers based on an expert evaluation survey. The respondents identified prolongation of drought durations, rising temperatures, above-average occurrences of floods, pre-seasonal rainfall and frost as primary risks during recent years. Extension experts view a high (negative) impact from climate change through processes such as increased plant diseases occurrence, increased exposure to rodents, harmful insects and pests for plants and livestock, as well as forest and pasture degradation. The paper also provides experts’ opinions on the policy implications, such as considerations about adaptation strategies towards climate change.
{"title":"Awareness of Climate Change Impact and Adaptation in Agriculture – The Case of Albania","authors":"E. Zhllima, D. Imami, J. Nam, P. Shoshi, Irena Gjika","doi":"10.2478/euco-2022-0030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0030","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Albanian agriculture sector is deeply affected by climate change. To cope with climate change, it is necessary to understand its consequences. The views of agriculture extension service experts are crucial in improving farmers’ understanding and resilience, especially when farming practices are poorly adapted to the changing climate. This paper analyses the risks from climate change and the adaptive capacity of farmers based on an expert evaluation survey. The respondents identified prolongation of drought durations, rising temperatures, above-average occurrences of floods, pre-seasonal rainfall and frost as primary risks during recent years. Extension experts view a high (negative) impact from climate change through processes such as increased plant diseases occurrence, increased exposure to rodents, harmful insects and pests for plants and livestock, as well as forest and pasture degradation. The paper also provides experts’ opinions on the policy implications, such as considerations about adaptation strategies towards climate change.","PeriodicalId":45589,"journal":{"name":"European Countryside","volume":"14 1","pages":"604 - 622"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42085175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}