No abstract

Human capital (HC) plays an important role in modern agriculture. The difference in efficiency of assets explains only about a half of the economic performance of agricultural farms, while the other half relies on HC. Although education and training are the main components of HC, it may also be viewed from the perspective of behavioral theories that were taken under consideration in this study. The role of HC in sustainable farming has not been sufficiently explained when it comes to contractual governance (CG). In this study, the meaning of contractual governance was extended and the eco-contractual governance (ECG) concept was proposed, which stands for CG induced by agri-environmental contracts. The main objective of the article is to confirm the latent concepts of HC and ECG and to verify their correlation in view of the standards imposed by the agricultural policy. To achieve this goal, a structural equation model was developed and simultaneous confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal variables was carried out based on the sample of 674 small farms in Poland. The analysis has confirmed a relatively strong correlation between HC and ECG. It was revealed that training plays a crucial role in this relationship, while economic dependence on agricultural policy weakens the effectiveness of both HC and ECG.

Understanding the changing needs of consumers is an important element of building a competitive advantage of the company. The aim of the article is to present consumer behavior on the local market of organic products. The article presents issues related to the organic food market. The concept of organic product was defined and characterized, control and certification of organic production as well as factors affecting food quality and demand for organic products were discussed. In addition, a survey was conducted on the local market to show the determinants of consumer behaviour on the organic food market. Based on the surveys carried out and the analysis of statistical data, it can be seen that the modern consumer is aware of what he is buying. The quality and composition of the product are the most important factors that influence the decision they make. Consumers are increasingly giving up the consumption of traditional food in favor of organic products.

The development of the organic food market has resulted from, among others, an increasing consumer awareness of healthy eating, caring for their loved ones, as well as the spread of information on exceedances regarding the level of pesticides in food, standards of dioxins in meat and many other toxic chemicals. Noteworthy is also the increasing availability of organic food. An increasing number of stores have in their range of products food from organic farming, which in effect affects the increase in demand for this type of food. Consumer behaviour regarding organic products is determined not only by increasing ecological awareness, but depends on many factors, among which economic factors play an important role. Understanding the conditions of purchasing ecoproducts is crucial in the development of the organic food market. The aim of this study is, fi rstly, to identify the factors determining consumer behaviour on the market of organic products, with particular emphasis on economic factors. Secondly, establishing the relationship between the level of average monthly income per person and the number of people in the household. Undoubtedly, higher prices of organic products compared to their conventional counterparts and low income of consumers limit their purchase. The article contains the results of a survey carried out among respondents in the Lubuskie Voivodeship. The results of the study show that the higher willingness to pay results not only from the perceived quality of products, taste values, product composition, lifestyle, or fragrance values, but also from care for the natural environment and the health of both themselves and their relatives.

The study presents the impact of eco-innovation and policy conducive to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development in agriculture on economic development. The starting point was the analysis of economic growth models and indicating in them the approach to innovation for the implementation of sustainable development. The specifics of eco-innovation in the agricultural sector and their typology have been presented. Due to the complexity of innovative processes and in particular the resulting effects, multi-component measures of innovation and eco-innovation have been discussed. In the last part, using the panel analysis, the effect of eco-innovation in agriculture on socio-economic development at the level of the entire economy has been demonstrated.