The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries
This paper aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on small family farms in Visegrad countries and to provide evidence of how they have responded and coped with the crisis. We conducted our investigation using an exploratory qualitative research design based on 86 semistructured in-de...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Agricultural Economics (AGRICECON) |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/age-202309-0004_the-effects-of-covid-19-crisis-on-small-family-farms-empirical-evidence-from-visegrad-countries.php |
| _version_ | 1797338169277939712 |
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| author | Ivana Blažková Veronika Svatošová Gabriela Chmelíková Vojtěch Tamáš Eliška Svobodová Libor Grega Simona Miškolci Jakub Piecuch U Apolka |
| author_facet | Ivana Blažková Veronika Svatošová Gabriela Chmelíková Vojtěch Tamáš Eliška Svobodová Libor Grega Simona Miškolci Jakub Piecuch U Apolka |
| author_sort | Ivana Blažková |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on small family farms in Visegrad countries and to provide evidence of how they have responded and coped with the crisis. We conducted our investigation using an exploratory qualitative research design based on 86 semistructured in-depth interviews with owners or responsible managers, and explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on different areas of their businesses, such as human resources, supplier-customer relations, production, distribution channels or strategies, price of inputs and outputs and business models. Our findings showed that small family farms have been resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several negative impacts were identified, such as a decrease in sales due to the closure of accommodation and restaurant services, delays in the supply of inputs, and minor problems with the availability of workers, but those were perceived to be moderate. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created not only difficult challenges but also opportunities for small farms. Based on our findings, three main recommendations regarding the adaptability and resilience of family farms in Visegrad countries have been formulated: i) the importance of a diversification strategy, ii) selling through short supply chains, and iii) digitalisation of agriculture. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:27:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9809c761ce1d4a40b56301368eb05721 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0139-570X 1805-9295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:27:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agricultural Economics (AGRICECON) |
| spelling | doaj.art-9809c761ce1d4a40b56301368eb057212024-01-31T08:00:44ZengCzech Academy of Agricultural SciencesAgricultural Economics (AGRICECON)0139-570X1805-92952023-09-0169936637410.17221/217/2023-AGRICECONage-202309-0004The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countriesIvana Blažková0Veronika Svatošová1Gabriela Chmelíková2Vojtěch Tamáš3Eliška Svobodová4Libor Grega5Simona Miškolci6Jakub Piecuch7U Apolka8Department of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Economics and Food Economy, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, PolandDepartment of Regional and Business Economics, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicThis paper aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on small family farms in Visegrad countries and to provide evidence of how they have responded and coped with the crisis. We conducted our investigation using an exploratory qualitative research design based on 86 semistructured in-depth interviews with owners or responsible managers, and explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on different areas of their businesses, such as human resources, supplier-customer relations, production, distribution channels or strategies, price of inputs and outputs and business models. Our findings showed that small family farms have been resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several negative impacts were identified, such as a decrease in sales due to the closure of accommodation and restaurant services, delays in the supply of inputs, and minor problems with the availability of workers, but those were perceived to be moderate. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created not only difficult challenges but also opportunities for small farms. Based on our findings, three main recommendations regarding the adaptability and resilience of family farms in Visegrad countries have been formulated: i) the importance of a diversification strategy, ii) selling through short supply chains, and iii) digitalisation of agriculture.https://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/age-202309-0004_the-effects-of-covid-19-crisis-on-small-family-farms-empirical-evidence-from-visegrad-countries.phpfamily farmingmultifunctional agriculturepost-covid recoveryqualitative researchv4 countries |
| spellingShingle | Ivana Blažková Veronika Svatošová Gabriela Chmelíková Vojtěch Tamáš Eliška Svobodová Libor Grega Simona Miškolci Jakub Piecuch U Apolka The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries Agricultural Economics (AGRICECON) family farming multifunctional agriculture post-covid recovery qualitative research v4 countries |
| title | The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries |
| title_full | The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries |
| title_fullStr | The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries |
| title_short | The effects of COVID-19 crisis on small family farms: Empirical evidence from Visegrad countries |
| title_sort | effects of covid 19 crisis on small family farms empirical evidence from visegrad countries |
| topic | family farming multifunctional agriculture post-covid recovery qualitative research v4 countries |
| url | https://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/age-202309-0004_the-effects-of-covid-19-crisis-on-small-family-farms-empirical-evidence-from-visegrad-countries.php |
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