The growing demand for cheap food is a key factor in maintaining long supply chains. Increasing the distance between the producer and the consumer results not only in certain problems in maintaining profitability by small, local producers, but also in a threat to food safety. One way to counteract these adverse effects is to sell food through short supply chains. They shape the market in the direction of maintaining care for the sustainable development of all food production, but above all, maintaining and strengthening the production capacity ensuring the transparency of the high-quality food production process from an identifiable source of origin. The purpose of this article is to indicate the conditions on the side of both carp producers and consumers, conducive to building short supply chains, and determine whether they can be an effective alternative sales model in Polish conditions. The article focuses on the possibilities of developing short supply chains on the carp market in the Barycz Valley, concentrating the largest area of carp ponds in Europe. The research (surveys) included the five largest fishing farms and, on the recipient side, individual consumers and restaurants located in the Barycz Valley and Wrocław, and agritourism facilities in the researched area. The obtained results confirmed that short supply chains in the area of Polish aquaculture are characterized by high implementation potential. However, it is necessary to modify the current sales model so that the producers’ expectations regarding the sales volume and the obtained price are balanced with the expectations of consumers articulating the will to buy fish at a given time, place, and price. This, in turn, will ensure the high economic efficiency of fishing farms, and consumers will have access to a high-quality product.

Globalization and the related processes of land and capital concentration are also present in Polish agriculture. As a result of the occurring changes in agriculture itself and in its environment, the importance of small agricultural holdings is permanently declining. The gradual disappearance of small family farms not only disrupts the direct relationships between food producers and consumers, but also puts food security at risk, primarily on a local and regional scale. The purpose of the article is an attempt to present that the development of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) can offer an alternative to the occurring current distribution channels. The article is focused on the possibilities of CSA development in the Wrocław district resulting from the proximity of the largest market in the Lower Silesia region—Wrocław (the capital of Lower Silesia in Poland). The survey covered 400 agricultural holdings located in nine municipalities of the Wrocław district. The conducted research has shown that the CSA model opens opportunities for a long-lasting cooperation between farmers and consumers, but its implementation requires an increase in the prices of agricultural products offered by farmers by about 50%, as well as solutions to the cost-related problems of agricultural product transport.

One of the important areas of the energy transformation is the citizens involvement in the energy production process. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the security of supply and price stabilization. In order for all citizens to have equal opportunities to use green energy, regardless of financial and housing opportunities, energy cooperatives are established in many countries. In Poland, the first renewable energy cooperatives emerged in 2021 but, unfortunately, their role in the energy transformation process will be rather limited in the near future. This is mainly due to the numerous legal, economic and social barriers that hinder their creation. This article adopts the hypothesis that there are too many barriers in Poland that discourage the creation of energy cooperatives or other forms of collective prosumption. The main obstacle is the limitations of installed power, coerced by the poor condition of the network infrastructure. The aim of the article is to answer the question of whether, given the current legal and economic conditions, a large-scale development of energy cooperatives is possible in Poland, or will the existing barriers make this development limited and not contribute to the country’s energy transformation? To answer this question, primary and secondary sources were used. Primary research relied on interviews in all cooperatives operating in Poland. Based on the literature on the subject, reference was made to the experiences of other EU countries. The research shows that there are strong economic, legal and mental barriers to the development of cooperatives in Poland. Overcoming them requires changes in the law, in the energy policy including decentralization of the energy market and increased public confidence in collective forms of prosumption.

In recent years, negative phenomena of an external and internal nature have been observed that threaten the security of Polish municipalities. The increase in energy prices had a negative impact on the situations of consumers and companies. Strengthening energy security can be achieved through the development of an energy community based on renewable energy. The aim of the article is to demonstrate that energy cooperatives have a negligible impact on the energy and economic security of Polish municipalities. The article is based on literature studies and analysis of data obtained from the National Center for Agricultural Support and the Central Statistical Office, as well as our own qualitative research. Based on the research, three hypotheses were formulated: Firstly, energy cooperatives participate to a limited extent in building local energy security. Secondly, cooperatives should be treated as a complement to coal power plants. Thirdly, only the involvement of municipal authorities in the energy cooperatives can strengthen local energy security. The research shows that there has been a quantitative development of energy cooperatives, but this has not significantly improved local energy security. Only the active participation of local authorities is a condition for strengthening the role of energy cooperatives in ensuring economic and energy security.

This article focuses on the role of local government in energy transition. The aim of this article is to answer the question of whether local government authorities undertake actions aimed at the energy transformation of the region. This article is based on both literature studies and independent research. The empirical research was carried out in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, located in Southwestern Poland. This region was chosen because it experienced the negative effects of economic transformation (liquidation of the Lower Silesian Coal Basin). Two hypotheses (H1 and H2) were adopted in the article. H1 assumes that in Polish conditions, bottom-up energy transformation requires the involvement of local authorities, and they should act as both initiators and shareholders of energy cooperatives. According to H2, local authorities participate in the energy transition to a limited extent. According to the conducted surveys, there has been no investment in wind farms, hydroelectric power plants or biogas plants. Communes are not interested in large, capital-intensive investments, limiting themselves to local actions with a small spatial range and small economic significance, although they are aware of the advantages of RES.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an alternative form of distributing agricultural products, including fish, consistent with the model of food supply chain shortening. It extends beyond the traditional model of profit maximization and aims at strengthening local interactions with food consumers. The purpose of this article is to assess the feasibility of implementing the CSA model in the Polish carp market, representing the dominant aquaculture product. The research focused on the potential identified on the supply and demand sides of the carp market. The source material was collected through a pilot two-track empirical study conducted in 2019 in the Barycz Valley, where the largest complex of carp breeding ponds is located in Poland, and in Europe. We propose that the following CSA model of direct sales can become a source of specific benefits in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions for the key stakeholders of the supply chain, (i.e., carp producers and consumers). The research results show that in the case of carp production in Poland, CSA may turn out a desirable support for the sale of fish in the future; however, the existing conditions are not yet fully favourable for its development.