Socio-Economic Determinants of Small Family Farms’ Resilience in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

Michał Borychowski, Sebastian Stępień, Jan Polcyn, Aleksandra Tošović-Stevanović, Dragan Ćalović, Goran Lalić and Milena Žuža
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Michał Borychowski: Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland
Sebastian Stępień: Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland
Jan Polcyn: Department of Economics, Stanislaw Staszic State University of Applied Sciences in Pila, ul. Podchorążych 10, 64-920 Piła, Poland
Aleksandra Tošović-Stevanović: Department of Economics, Faculty of Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship, Mitropolita Petra 8, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia
Dragan Ćalović: Faculty of Contemporary Arts, University Business Academy, Svetozara Miletica 12, 11 108 Belgrade, Serbia
Goran Lalić: Department of Economy, Faculty of Social Sciences, University Business Academy, Bulevar umetnosti 2a, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milena Žuža: Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Biofarming, Megatrend University, Bulevar maršala Tolbuhina 8, 11 070 Belgrade, Serbia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-30

Abstract: We investigated the resilience of small-scale family farms because of the contemporary importance of both the farms’ resilience and the role of these farms in five countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The authors addressed a research gap concerning cross-sectional research on the resilience of farms by combining determinants from various fields. Thus, the primary goal of this article was to identify microeconomic and political factors and links to markets that affect the resilience of small-scale family farms in Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Serbia. Using a database of over 3500 farms, the resilience of the farms was calculated, and then the impact of selected factors on that resilience was determined. The research showed that the production scale was the key determinant of the resilience of farms. To achieve higher benefits, increasing the production should be combined with strengthening the market integration of agricultural producers. The position of the producer in the food supply chain determined the income situation of the farm (economic stability). This shaped the quality of life of the family members (social stability). Identifying the effects of those dependencies may provide recommendations for the policy of supporting small-scale family farms in the analysed countries.

Keywords: small-scale family farms; resilience; agriculture; sustainable development; Lithuania; Moldova; Poland; Romania; Serbia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10362-:d:460467

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