Farming sustainability—interactions of economic, environmental and social dimensions
Farming sustainability—interactions of economic, environmental and social dimensions

Author(s): Aleksander Grzelak, Michał Borychowski, Jakub Staniszewski, Anna Matuszczak
Subject(s): Economy, Business Economy / Management, Agriculture, Energy and Environmental Studies, Economic policy, Environmental and Energy policy, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Business Ethics, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Poznaniu
Keywords: sustainable farming;European Union;environment;low carbon;Wielkopolska;
Summary/Abstract: The conviction that farm development depends not only on the economic dimension but also on the environment as well as the social dimension, is increasingly widespread. The purpose of this study was to assess the interaction between the economic, social and environmental fields of agricultural activity and to identify cause-and-effect relationships between the aforementioned dimensions on the basis of family farms in Wielkopolska. The study was based on a literature review and the results of surveys conducted among 120 farms in the Wielkopolska region of Poland. Having applied structural equation modelling analysis, the authors discovered that there are significant mutual positive relations between the economic, social and environmental spheres in the analysed farms. Thus, those relationships can be complementary to each other. The presented research indicates the need to always consider agriculture as a broad and complex economic, social and environmental system, as the European Union already does, and to adjust policies according to the region’s peculiarities and its unique features. Simultaneously, one should aim to achieve multiple and diversified goals in agriculture.

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