An Empirical Study of Modernity in Agricultural Cooperatives in Poland

Abstract

Application of new and contemporary information and communication technologies for rural and agricultural development has been advancing quite rapidly over the last decade. Modern agriculture is a promising pathway to increase the sustainability of farming by increasing farm profitability, reducing manual labour, and reducing environmental impact. The paper discusses an approach to modernity and its influence on profitability in agricultural cooperatives in Poland. Precisely, its purpose is to investigate the links between the income and the level of value and modernity of machinery and equipment, as well as the propensity to monitor and implement technological innovations in Polish agricultural cooperatives. The analysis is based on data collected by survey method from 28 APC operating in the opolskie voivodshipthe south-western region of Poland. It reveals a moderate willingness of Polish cooperatives to invest in agricultural machinery and equipment and to monitor and implement technological innovations. Simultaneously, it shows that the cooperative income does not depend on this willingness or on the cooperative members' opinion about modernity of machines used by them. However, it proves the existence of high positive correlation between the value of machinery and equipment and the income in cooperatives.