The paper explores the sources of risk for agricultural cooperatives, which reduce their competitiveness. A systematization of the types of risks for the agricultural cooperatives is carried out, focusing on two risk groups: risks originating in the environment (external risks) and risks within the organization (internal risks). On the basis of an empirical study of the sources of risk for agricultural cooperatives in the North-East region of Bulgaria, empirical models for the internal and external sources of risk are presented. The analyzes allow for generalizations to be made about the nature of the risks to agricultural cooperatives, allowing for effective risk management actions.

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The aim of this paper is to present a methodology for assessing the level of climatic risk in agriculture and to assess the risk of climate variability faced by wheat producers in Bulgaria. The analysis is based on secondary data on the average wheat yield during the period 1998 - 2018. Using a breakpoint linear regression model we estimated the predictable component in the time series of the average crop yield. Climate risk was assessed using a detrended coefficient of variation. We conclude that about 10% of the average yield variation from its typical value can be explained by the impact of random factors, among which climate variability over the period.

The aim of this paper is to examine the degree of inequality in farm size and the concentration of land in Bulgarian agriculture. Using a coefficient specified by Iosifescu, we study the degree of uneven distribution of farms in physical farm size groups in Bulgaria. The Gini Index is applied to compare the inequality in the utilized agriculture area distribution among farmers in Bulgaria and other EU member states. The assessment of the land concentration is based on a calculation of the mid-point hectare at national level and additional indicators.

Historically, Bulgaria has been a long-standing wine producer and exporter. Over the past few decades there have been changes in the political environment, the production and the market, which are associated with certain threats and opportunities for Bulgarian wine producers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the export competitiveness of Bulgarian bottled wines. The assessment is based on a set of indicators of import and export quantities and prices for the main external markets. Our research findings indicate that Bulgarian producers are selling mainly in the low-price segments, and, in many cases, at a high level of price volatility and decreasing quantities.