Sebastian Stępień

W kierunku zrównoważonego rozwoju lokalnego – przykład innowacji w sektorze zarządzania odpadami

Implementation of the concept of sustainable development can take place on different levels. One such area is the care of the environment through the recycling of waste. This paper presents an example of ecological innovation in the waste management sector as part of the implementation of a local strategy for sustainable development. Such projects not only bring economic and social benefits for the inhabitants of a given region, but also primarily serve the needs of the natural environment. The study contains both theoretical and empirical considerations, and uses elements of critical literature analysis, meta-analysis, deduction and case study analysis. Set against a review of the subject literature, the paper contains a description of a specific solution regarding the treatment of municipal waste – Poznan’s Thermal Municipal Waste Treatment Installation. The study shows that the model of cooperation between business and local government through public-private partnership is a response to changes in legislation and meets the objectives of local policy for sustainable development, at the same time making it possible to unify municipal waste management not only within the municipality, but also at regional level.

Straty i marnotrawstwo w łańcuchu dostaw żywności – propedeutyka problemu

The problem of food waste is particularly relevant in the twenty-first century. According to the data from the Food Banks, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year around the world. This represents a third of the total food production. In Europe, there are almost 100 million tonnes and in Poland there are some 9 million tonnes per annum (Food Banks 2016). The data on Europe do not include losses in agriculture and fisheries, which, in fact, make this figure much higher. However, the scale of waste in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is much lower and there is a chronic problem of malnutrition and even starvation. As reported by UNICEF, malnutrition is the cause of death of over 5 million children annually (UNICEF 2016). It is therefore necessary to develop strategies to effectively combat this phenomenon. Such attempts are taken by the European Union, which pays attention to the problem in the strategy ‘Europe 2020’. In 2011, the European Parliament adopted a resolution ‘How to avoid food waste: a strategy for improving the efficiency of the food chain in the EU’. At the same time a large part of the EU population (including Poles) declare that they are not aware of the situation, do not notice information campaigns and programmes that aim to reduce food waste. Struggle with this twenty-first century problem should therefore start from building attitudes and awareness of individual households and firms engaged in food production and distribution. The purpose of this article is to point to the problem of food waste, its causes and manifestations, and to identify possible strategies to combat this phenomenon. Research methods used in this work include a critical literature analysis and meta-analysis with elements of deductive reasoning based on available literature and reports.

The phenomenon of cyclical fluctuations on the pork market - global perspective

Summary The aim of publication was to recognize the characteristics and morphology of today’s hog cycle. The hypothesis was that known in the economy since the second half of the nineteenth century hog cycle is also a typical phenomenon in the contemporary economy. It is also claimed that cyclical supply changes of pig meat are not synchronized between countries. Fluctuations in production are country-specific and are influenced by local conditions. While in the case of pork prices there is a characteristic broad convergence of cycle between countries. Development of world trade exchange and economic integration of groups of countries lead to uniformity of cyclical changes in prices. The study included the world economy and eight selected countries with the largest share in the global production and/or foreign trade. The time range of empirical analysis (analyzing fluctuations in supply and prices) concerned the period 1991-2012.

ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2014–2020. REMINISCENCES AND PROJECTION

The second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy is an important element of support for Polish rural areas, due to the need to improve the competitiveness of agricultural producers, to transform the employment structure, to boost infrastructure development and to implement tasks related to the protection of the environment. Thus, the size of the funds of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) for 2014–2020 and their allocation to different tasks is essential for the future of rural areas. The aim of the article was to evaluate the RDP for 2014–2020 from the point of view of the potential economic consequences of its implementation. This rating was made in two areas: the budget, and the construction of selected activities. Data on the budget and the allocation of funds in the new financial period indicate that the RDP limits expenditures on some of the objectives, primarily related to infrastructure and entrepreneurship. The priority actions are, however, pro-investment and modernization, and improving the position of farmers in the food chain. There are also programs of a social nature, aimed at small farms and activities with low added value (e.g. less favored areas, or LFA). Reducing the budget of the RDP forced implementation of some solutions, e.g. degressive payments and limits on the area and economic size of farms; thereby both the smallest and larger farms could be excluded from part of the support

Budget of the EU and Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020 in the light of the polish interests

Summary The objective of the paper is to present the results of negotiations on the EU budget for 2014-2020, with particular emphasis on the Common Agricultural Policy. Authors indicate the steps for establishing the budget, from the proposal of the European Commission presented in 2011, ending with the draft of UE budget agreed at the meeting of the European Council on February 2013 and the meeting of the AGRIFISH on March 2013 and then approved by the political agreement of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council on June 2013. In this context, there will be an assessment of the new budget from the point of view of Polish economy and agriculture. Streszczenie Celem publikacji jest zaprezentowanie wyników negocjacji nad budżetem UE na lata 2014-2020 ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem wspólnej polityki rolnej. Autorzy wskazują na kolejne etapy ustalania budżetu, od propozycji Komisji Europejskiej w 2011r., kończąc na projekcie budżetu uzgodnionym na spotkaniu Rady Europejskiej w lutym 2013r. i grupy AGRIFISH w marcu 2013r., a następnie zatwierdzonym porozumieniem politycznym Komisji Europejskiej, Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady Europejskiej w czerwcu 2013r. W tym kontekście, zostanie dokonana ocena nowego budżetu z punktu widzenia interesów polskiej gospodarki i polskiego rolnictwa.