Modern agriculture requires substantial energy inputs, a significant portion of which are derived from fossil fuels. In the interests of addressing global challenges, such as sustainable resource management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this study examines changes in energy efficiency within Polish agriculture following the country’s accession to the European Union. It emphasizes the impact of dynamic structural transformations on energy consumption patterns in the agricultural sector. The research, based on data from Statistics Poland and FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) covering the period 2004–2021, analyzes various farm types and their economic sizes. Key indicators include energy intensity in agricultural production, expressed as the ratio of energy consumption to production value, and the share of different energy carriers in total energy inputs. The results demonstrate an overall improvement in energy efficiency during the analyzed period, with energy intensity decreasing by an average of 40%. The most significant improvements were observed in large-scale farms. Additionally, there was a notable decline in the use of solid fuels, offset by increased reliance on diesel fuel and electricity. Despite these positive trends, challenges persist. Energy costs per unit of production value in Poland remain relatively high compared to other EU countries, driven by rapidly rising energy prices and the structure of Polish agriculture, which predominantly produces goods with relatively low added value. Furthermore, variations in energy consumption structures across production types highlight the importance of specialization in enhancing energy efficiency at the farm level.

Methane emissions from dairy production constitute a significant share of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Poland and represent a key challenge under EU climate policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This study evaluates dairy farmers’ acceptance of alternative methane mitigation measures (MMMs) and examines the cost-efficient design of agri-environmental contracts from a public-budget perspective. A Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) conducted among 302 dairy farmers was used to estimate participation probabilities for different mitigation measures and contract attributes, including result-based (RB) and input-based (IB) payment schemes. These preference-based probabilities were subsequently embedded into a cost-minimisation optimisation framework that identifies the least-cost portfolios of MMMs capable of achieving increasing methane-reduction targets while remaining behaviourally feasible. The DCE results show significantly higher acceptance of RB contracts compared with IB schemes, strong resistance to vaccination-based measures, and relatively favourable preferences for biofiltration. Payment levels and environmental attitudes significantly influence participation decisions. When behavioural constraints are incorporated into the optimisation model, RB contracts allow for higher achievable methane reductions under the adopted assumptions, primarily due to higher participation rates of farmers in result-based contracts. The model indicates that, beyond moderate mitigation targets, IB schemes face participation limits that constrain scalability. Biofiltration consistently forms the backbone of cost-efficient portfolios, while less accepted measures enter optimal solutions only when ambition levels exceed the feasible potential of high-acceptance options, revealing a potential ambition–acceptance gap. Methodologically, the study integrates stated-preference data into a policy optimisation model, demonstrating how farmers’ quantified perceptions can be treated as structural inputs to environmental policy design rather than assuming full adoption of technically efficient measures. Conceptually, the framework links farmer participation, environmental effectiveness, and budget efficiency within a unified decision-support structure. The proposed framework contributes to sustainability-oriented policy design by linking environmental effectiveness, behavioural feasibility, and public-budget efficiency in methane mitigation strategies for the dairy sector. Although the results are scenario-based and conditional on assumed mitigation and cost parameters, they underline the importance of aligning environmental ambition with empirically grounded participation patterns when designing methane mitigation policies for the dairy sector.

Agriculture generates environmental and social outcomes that are not fully reflected in market prices, creating a challenge for agricultural policy appraisal. This study estimates the preferences and marginal willingness to pay (WTP) of adult residents of Poland for eight agricultural sustainability outcomes. Data were collected between 17 April 2026 and 1 July 2026 through a nationwide computer-assisted web survey of 6454 residents of Poland aged 18–64, who completed 51,632 unlabelled choice tasks. A partial-profile design displayed four of the eight non-monetary attributes plus a cost attribute in each task and choices were analysed using a panel random-parameters logit model. The highest positive mean WTP estimates concerned maximum animal welfare (276.47 PLN per person per year), clean rivers and lakes (231.32 PLN), animal welfare above the legal minimum (203.72 PLN), and a landscape combining arable fields and pastures with animals (168.95 PLN). Respondents also preferred a mixed farm-size structure to the dominance of any single farm type. Positive and statistically significant mean WTP was also found for lower agricultural GHG emissions, high farmland biodiversity, effective soil-erosion protection, and changes in agricultural production methods. Significant preference heterogeneity was found for all coefficients specified as random in the final model. The results provide marginal welfare measures relevant to agricultural policy appraisal, but they refer to the specific changes evaluated and should not be interpreted as a complete ranking of policy objectives.

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań, których celem było wskazanie preferencji studentów Wydziału Ekonomicznego SGGW w zakresie wyboru przedmiotów fakultatywnych. W pierwszym etapie badań studenci wskazali, czym kierują się wybierając fakultety, a w drugim decydowali, który z dwóch zaproponowanych przedmiotów bardziej im odpowiada. Drugi etap został przeprowadzony metodą Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE), która nie była wcześniej stosowana w podobnych badaniach w Polsce. Do eksperymentu zostali zaproszeni wszyscy studenci WE SGGW, jednak tylko część z nich odpowiedziała, co stanowi ograniczenie we wnioskowaniu. Wykazano, że dla studentów najważniejszym czynnikiem jest osoba prowadząca zajęcia. Wskazuje to na znaczące różnice pomiędzy dotychczas opublikowanymi badaniami a przeprowadzonym eksperymentem, podkreślając znaczenie aktualizowania wiedzy na temat opinii studentów i dostosowywania do nich oferty.

Progressive climate change triggers off phenomena that threaten agricultural production. Crop insurance makes it possible to mitigate their effects, but only a small percentage of crops in Poland is insured. Previous research into the determinants of farmers̕ participation in the production...