Anna M. Klepacka

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development

In Poland, despite ambitious plans from 15 years ago, when it was assumed that by 2020, an agricultural biogas plant would be standard in every commune, the potential of agricultural biogas has not been used due to the lack of stable legal regulations and financing programmes for the construction of the plants. The situation has now changed due to...

The article aims to identify barriers related to developing agricultural biogas plants in Poland. The secondary data was supplemented by primary data from a questionnaire conducted among employees of an enterprise whose biogas production is one of the elements of the circular economy. The results of the research revealed that the majority of respon...

This article aims to identify development opportunities and barriers for a farm specialising in organic apple production and processing. Primary data was based on an interview questionnaire with the owners of a farm in Czernin, located in the Pomorskie Voivodship. The interview was conducted during the 16th Festival of Taste in Gruczno in August 20...

The aim of the study is to assess the possibility of improving internal transport and storage of pome fruit (including apples) in an orchard farm located in Wilkonice. The research material was collected on the basis of an interview questionnaire with the owner of an orchard farm in May 2022. Secondary data came from the Central Statistical Office...

Heat pump technology offers a path towards reducing the use of fossil fuels to heat space, providing energy bill savings and reducing air pollution and GHG emissions. The choice of heating method is based on costs; hence, this study examines the gains from operating heat pump systems in public buildings as well as alternative systems using electric...

The aim of the article is to present the idea of energy clusters and legislative changes concerning the creation of energy clusters. An attempt was made to theoretically analyze the concept of energy clusters in the light of the amendment to the Act on renewable energy sources (RES). The method of literature review was applied and the most importan...

The article addresses the progressive changes in the climate caused by increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In light of the applicable regulations, Poland should reduce the emissions with significant potential of creating the greenhouse effect. One way to achieve this is to increase the use of renewable energy sources, wh...

The article aims to identify the changes in the number of employees in European Union (EU) countries in the renewable energy sector in 2018 compared to 2014. EurObserv’ER yearbooks were the source of data on employment and capacity for selected renewable energy sources. The paper uses descriptive and pair-wise comparison methods. The largest decrea...

The paper’s objective is to quantify factors influencing a rural homeowner’s decision to invest in exterior insulation to improve energy efficiency, lower heating costs, decrease air pollution, and reduce ash disposal and time spent monitoring coal-burning stoves. The study estimates a probit decision equation using survey data collected from an ar...

This study examines the integration of regional dairy markets in Poland, which is a major European dairy producing country. The analysis of prices is important, as many dairy farmers are members of dairy processing cooperatives, and their incomes are affected by the prices of two popular products: butter and curd. Moreover, the period of study incl...

This chapter focuses on wood pellets as a renewable, environmentally friendly, and locally available energy source that has a potential to replace fossil fuels, especially coal, in space and water heating in Poland’s rural areas. The use of wood pellets results in substantial reduction of GHG emissions and particulate matter, while generating a sma...

Energy and climate policies benefit from modernized construction technology and energy supply source choices. Energy-efficiency improvement and CO2 emission reduction will result from renewable energy (RE) utilization in new and retrofit single-family houses in rural Poland. Several house construction scenarios and heating energy sources comparing...

The article attempts to theoretically analyze the concept of clusters, in particular energy clusters. The paper presents the economic evolution of the cluster theory and the current Polish approach to energy clusters. Cluster structures in Poland have been presented against a background of European experiences. It was found that the current progres...

This article focuses on afforestation of agricultural land and reviews agricultural land afforestation changes in Poland implemented by beneficiaries (natural or legal persons) of the RDP, with special regard to regional differences. Furthermore, the study distinguished between trends in afforestation for separate EU budgetary periods: 2007-2013 an...

Biomass is a major source of renewable energy in the EU and Poland, stimulating the growth of the wood pellet sector. Wood pellet demand is stimulated by a complex interaction of market forces and policies including EU climate, energy, and environmental regulations, Poland’s program to improve air quality, and subsidies for the replacement of ineff...

Heavy dependence on fossil fuels among rural households contributes to GHG emissions and air pollution while increasing landfill loads in Poland. This study examines benefits from the renewable energy utilization support program that subsidized household purchase and installation of thermal solar panels. This review of synergy between energy, clima...

Renewable energy (RE) sources are often locally available and have the potential to lessen the rural dependence on the national power grid, reducing disruptions in power supplies and the heavy dependence on coal combustion. Poland faces an EU mandate of a 15% share of renewables in energy generation by 2020. However, the installations intended to s...

Renewable energy (RE) sources are often locally available and have the potential to lessen the rural dependence on the national power grid, reducing disruptions in power supplies and the heavy dependence on coal combustion. Poland faces an EU mandate of a 15% share of renewables in energy generation by 2020. However, the installations intended to s...

The aim of this article is to identify the determinants affecting the growth of renewable energy source utilisation in rural areas in the context of sustainable development. The research covered the economic circumstances and changes in law relating to the RES (renewable energy sources) Act of 2018, which resulted from EU’s energy policy ensuring f...

Sustainable energy development implies an effective use of economic, human, technological, and renewable and non-renewable natural resources. The gradual process of natural environment degradation and the inevitable exhaustion of natural fossil fuel deposits force the search for alternatives. A comparison of alternative opportunities to generate en...

The aim of this article was to show the position of Poland in the renewable energy subsectors among the European Union countries. The research covered the areas of biomass, solar heating and heat pumps, showing the degree of their utilization, power required to drive the system and their production in 2016. The provided information was supplemented...

The paper’s purpose was the recognition of the use of pellets as a source of renewable energy in sustainable development concept. The scope of work covered pellet production volume and consumption in Poland as compared to the selected EU countries in 2011 and 2017. Moreover, the presentation tracks the changes in the number of pellet producers in P...

The article is an attempt to estimate the potential of reduction carbon dioxide emissions using microinstallation of renewable energy sources (RES) in single-family housing. Based on the energy demand of the building, statistical data including the average number of single-family buildings built per year and the average area of a single-family buil...

Solar energy utilization by rural households in Poland contributes to the EU-mandated increase in renewable energy use, while lowering emission, dependence on fossil fuels, and energy costs, and improving air quality. Using the survey data collected from owners of passive solar panels in rural areas, this study examines the importance of selected r...

Poland depends on imports for its transportation fuel supply and EC renewable energy policy encourages rapeseed conversion into biodiesel. This paper discusses changes in winter rapeseed production following changes in sugar policy, decreased dependence on potato use as feed and food, and the EU 2007–2009 support program for production of oil seeds...

Thermal solar panel installation has been growing in Poland in response to the EU policies and available subsidies. This paper investigates the attitudes of residents of four counties in Mazowieckie Voividship in Poland about the origin of solar panels. Results show that rural residents did not attach importance to awarding preferences to domestic...

Dokonano rozpoznania przestrzennych różnic w poziomie kosztów produkcji surowców rolnych wykorzystywanych do wytwarzania bioetanolu i estrów metylowych w Polsce. Wyniki badań wskazały na istotę zróżnicowania poziomu kosztów produkcji rzepaku ozimego i kukurydzy na ziarno w ujęciu przestrzennym. Najwyższy wskaźnik opłacalności produkcji rzepaku odno...

W wyniku rozpoznania przestrzennego zróżnicowania liczby instalacji do produkcji estrów metylowych i bioetanolu oraz ich wydajności, stwierdzono, że w Polsce produkcja biokomponentów jest zregionalizowana. Ten sam wniosek wysunięto na podstawie analizy udziału powierzchni upraw rzepaku i kukurydzy w powierzchni zasiewów ogółem według województw. Ws...

The paper examines self-reported food waste volume generated by a sample of rural households accounting for four different categories of food waste. Food waste does occur and some of it is unavoidable leading to the question how to manage it. This study identifies factors responsible for the volume of self-reported food waste by category, but also...

The directives obligating the use of renewable energy in transport stimulate the biofuels demand. The aim of the paper was to review the impact of EU directives related to biofuel use on the rural area development in Poland. The research scope covered the rapeseed oil methyl ester production in Poland from 2011 through 2017. The study applies the d...

Celem artykułu jest rozpoznanie różnic wynikających z koncentracji inwestycji w energię słoneczną z rozróżnieniem inwestycji w panele fotowoltaiczne oraz kolektory słoneczne w gminach województwa lubelskiego oraz województwa mazowieckiego. Tematykę pracy podjęto m.in. ze względu na istotne zmiany w ustawach o odnawialnych źródłach energii oraz w wi...

The idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) represents the voluntary effort that companies invest in social life. Companies incorporate the concept of CSR strategy in their businesses, knowing its importance to the benefit of the public at large and to sustainable development. Any activity of any major company is exposed to public opinion, wh...

The cover image, by Ting Meng et al., is based on the Research Article Preferences for groundnut products among urban residents in Ghana, DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.8532. Photo Credit: Wojciech J Florkowski.

Celem analizy było zbadanie związku między wzrostem lesistości a gruntami rolnymi w latach 2010-2015 oraz korelacją pomiędzy lesistością a migracją wewnętrzną mieszkańców poszukujących zatrudnienia poza rolnictwem (m.in. przez rejestrację mikroprzedsiębiorstw) na przykładzie województwa podlaskiego. Zastosowano metodę opisową, którą poszerzono o wy...

Background: This study identifies factors influencing preferences for common groundnut products using information about product perceptions from residents in Ghana's cities collected in 2011. In Ghana, domestically produced groundnuts, processed into a variety of groundnut products, are a vital source of protein and other nutrients. Results: Res...

Stumpage prices are important to both public and private landowners as they affect the profit received from a timber investment and are an important aspect of the total cost equation for forest products. We performed a review of the major factors affecting stumpage prices mainly using peer-reviewed forestry literature published from 2000 to 2015. W...

Increased forest areas and climate change mitigation are policy goals enhanced by expanding private forest ownership. This study shows transfer of land from farms owning forested acreage associated with low quality land and high production costs achieves such goals. Calculated cost efficiency scores show a large gap between the most and least effic...

The IPCC indicates that global mean temperature increases of 2°C or more above preindustrial levels negatively affect such crops as wheat. Canadian climate model projections show warmer temperatures and variable rainfall will likely affect Saskatchewan's canola and spring wheat production. Drier weather will have the greatest impact. The major clim...

Poland has been a traditional exporter of fresh apples to Russia (and earlier the Soviet Union). Indeed in 2013, Poland exported 600,000 tons of apples to Russia, about one half of its total fresh apple exports. Within the European Union, Poland has become the largest apple producer surpassing Italy, while in 2013 Poland was also the largest world...

The paper focuses on showing variability of knowledge and demand for organic food in two regions of Poland, i.e. Świetokrzyskie and Mazovian provinces. The selected for detailed investigations Polish regions differed in society wealth. Mazovia province with capitol (Warsaw) is reach as opposed to Świetokrzyskie - mountain province with dominance of...

Alaska's Tongass National Forest is nearly 17 million acres (6.8 million hectares) in size. Located in the southeast part of the state, its eastern boundary is shared with British Columbia, Canada. The national forest is mainly composed of Pacific Northwest coniferous tree species situated in a temperate costal rainforest. In addition to mainland a...

Environmental horticulture firms provide a variety of commercial/residential landscape products and services encompassing ornamental plant production, design, installation, and maintenance. The companies generate tons of waste including plastic containers, trays, and greenhouse/field covers, creating the need to reduce and utilize plastic waste. Ba...

This paper examines the cost efficiency of dairy farms in 2 important regions of commercial milk production in Poland (i.e., Wielkopolskie and Podlaskie). Both regions gained importance following the market-driven resource allocation mechanism adopted after Poland's transition to the market economy in 1989 and accession to the European Union (EU) i...

Fruit and vegetable consumption in emerging market economies is responsive to economic factors, but also highly dependent on socio-demographic factors such as household size, occupation, and education level of consumers. Although the average consumption of fruits and vegetables is near the WHO daily recommended level, some groups may not consume an...

The majority of consumers across the globe do not eat the WHO daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Actual consumption is influenced by a multitude of factors. This chapter focuses on household income and expenditure to illustrate the variation of fresh fruit and vegetable consumption using primary and secondary data from household sur...

The cost efficiency of the dairy subsector has been analyzed using data for two FADN regions and four subregions in Poland for the period 2004/05-2007/08. The cost efficiency indexes have been calculated for each farm from two FADN regions and two other FADN regions after each was further subdivided into two subregions. Both regional and subregiona...

Biogazownia rolnicza jest jednym ze sposobów pozyskania energii na bazie odnawialnych źródeł energii (OZE). Produkcja energii pochodząca z biogazu rolniczego umożliwia wypełnienie przez Polskę nałożonych Narodowych Celów Wskaźnikowych oraz postanowień Pakietu Klimatyczno-Energetycznego. Założenia te, zakładają wzrost udziału odnawialnych źródeł ene...