Funkcjonowanie małych gospodarstw rolnych w kontekście zrównoważonego rozwoju rolnictwa i obszarów wiejskich
Functioning of small farms in the context of sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas

Summary/Abstract: The specifics of small farms, as well as their way of functioning, influence their ability to implement a model of sustainable agriculture. The basic economic benefit of the functioning of small farms is that they provide food and are source of incomes for the farmer and his family. These farms create workplaces for the members of farmer’s family, what is especially important in areas with the high level of unemployment, and their even low production activity reduces the need for social support. They provide public goods in the form of maintaining biodiversity and diversifying the rural landscape. The main disadvantage of the functioning of small farms is, among others, their low competitive position in comparison to large farms, which is the consequence of limited resources and the imbalance between them. The human capital of these farms is often not fully utilized, and earning money also outside the farm does not favour cultivating the rural way of life and the ethos of the farmer’s work. Small-scale farms are also relatively less involved in the implementation of agrienvironmental programs than the large ones.

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