Diversification of Agricultural Output Intensity across the European Union in Light of the Assumptions of Sustainable Development

Aneta Zakrzewska and Anna Nowak ()
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Aneta Zakrzewska: Department of Economics and Agribusiness, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Anna Nowak: Department of Economics and Agribusiness, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: The strength of the bond between agriculture and the natural environment is measured by output intensity. This work aimed to evaluate the diversity of agriculture across the European Union in terms of agricultural output intensity from the perspective of the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development. Surveys were conducted using selected indicators based on data derived from EUROSTAT, FAOSTAT, and FADN from 2010–2019. The adopted indicators were used for developing a ranking of member states according to output intensity, which, in confrontation with the level of agricultural efficiency, can form a basis for an individual approach to the development strategies of respective member states. Their findings imply that, in the analyzed period, differences in output intensity among member states declined insignificantly. From 2010 to 2019, most countries forming the so-called ‘old 15′ featured higher output intensity than new member states. The Netherlands and Malta recorded the highest cost of intermediate consumption per 1 ha of utilized agricultural area. By contrast, agricultural production was the least intensive in Bulgaria. Land productivity was also very strongly variable. The difference between the old and new member states was clearly marked. Dutch agriculture reached the highest land productivity from 2010 to 2019, where agricultural production levels per 1 ha were five times higher than on average in the European Union.

Keywords: agriculture; European Union; output intensity; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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