Trwanie i upadek drobnych gospodarstw rolnych - zastosowanie analogii w naukach przyrodniczych i społecznych
The Decadence and Decline of Small Farms – Application Analogies to Natural and Social Sciences

Summary/Abstract: The authors apply the analogy method to analyse economic and socio-economicphenomena. The analogy method has been used to explain similarities between selectednatural and economic processes and their consequences. For over a century economicsciences – as a relatively young branch of science – have been relying on methods of analysisapplied in older and better equipped natural sciences, mostly in physics and biology. Theapplication of natural sciences’ methods for the analysis and description of economicprocesses is not just an interesting and creative intellectual process which allows to betterunderstand them but also gives an opportunity to develop solutions which stimulate desiredeconomic processes. The paper focuses on semi-commercial family farms which face quitean uncertain future as a group. Based on the conducted analysis, the adoption of a specificstrategy can be their chance to survive. That strategy involves both a behaviour modeledafter an omnivorous snail (diversified incomes) which gradually and slowly works towardsachieving its goal and hides in case of danger, and that resembling the behavior of a dove, i.e.the retreat and withdrawal from markets controlled by mass producers (hawks), avoidingconfrontation with the stronger ones and seeking safe havens (market niches) in whichbeasts of prey fighting one another are not interested. Such a philosophy is consistentwith the concept of multifunctional agriculture, the diversification of farm activities andthe increased engagement of small farms in the performance of environmental functionsand development of high-quality organic foods.

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