The role of global value-added chains is growing in international trade. The development gap between highly developed economies and developing countries means that the only products with which less developed economies can compete on the international arena are agricultural products. Moreover, integration into global value-added chains is an important factor in achieving comparative advantages in trade and improving export competitiveness. The main aim of this article is to assess the impact of integration within global value chains on changes in the comparative advantage of developing countries in the global agricultural trade. The degree of participation of developing countries in global value chains (GVC) was assessed using data from the Trade in Value-added OECD–WTO database (November 2021 edition) by calculating domestic (DVA), foreign value-added (FVA), and revealed comparative advantage (RCA) indexes. The analysis covers the period 1995–2018 and 28 developing economies. The research showed that the foreign value added in the gross exports of agricultural commodities of developing countries was an important factor in strengthening their export position and the importance of integration within global value chains rises with increasing product complexity. In agricultural production, FVA in most developing countries does not have a significant impact on the shaping of the comparative advantage.

This paper aims to explore the importance of the direct-payments scheme as a tool for supporting the sustainable development of agriculture in Poland, and to assess the effects of the 2015 Common Agricultural Policy reform in this context. In particular, the study attempts to investigate the impact of different fund-allocation criteria on the regional distribution of direct payments. The research employs a simulation method in the form of variant analysis (the “what if” model)—a mathematical method with elements of statistical description, based on the complete dataset. For the purposes of one of the variants, a multi-criteria composite indicator was constructed, including stimulants and destimulants of the level of environmental sustainability of agricultural plant production. The analysis was conducted at the NUTS 2 level (voivodeships). The timeframe of the study covered the period 2010–2019. The data published by Statistics Poland and the Agency for the Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture were used as the source material. The analysis indicated that the 2015 Common Agricultural Policy reform redistributed public funds away from sustainable agricultural management principles. Applying some basic sustainability criteria in order to internalise environmental externalities would lead to a radical redistribution of first-pillar Common Agricultural Policy payments. The paper concludes that a real greening of the European Union’s agricultural policy is a task still to be accomplished.

The aim of this study is to explore the impact of the main determinants on the rapid increase in fertilizer prices in Poland and to foresee the consequences of this situation regarding sustainable policy developments. We developed linear regression models for N, P, and K fertilizers to show the direction of influence of explaining variables and make a decomposition of the fertilizer price increases. The models illustrate that four major factors were responsible for the fertilizer price increases in Poland in 2020–2022, i.e., wheat, gas, GHGE allowance prices, and domestic production volumes. These factors explained the variation in the price of fertilizers concerned with different strengths. There were also other impacts associated with the ‘black swans’ occurrence (the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine). High mineral fertilizer prices provide an opportunity to revise agricultural policy and legislation, taking into account environmental concerns and the latest technological developments. Fertilizer management practices are at the center of a triangle of critical objectives that track the progress toward sustainable agricultural systems, such as (1) an increase in farm incomes, (2) environmental protection, and (3) food and nutrition security. We recommend adjusting the set of explaining variables in the models (i.e., wheat/corn price) to the specificities of the domestic agri-food system. This study provides important guidance for agricultural policymaking, emphasizing the need to integrate sustainable fertilizer management practices to achieve synergies between economic growth, environmental protection, and food security. Such an approach can support the long-term development of agriculture in Poland and contribute to the economic and environmental stability of the agricultural sector.

The aim of this paper is to identify the potential of the Ukrainian grain transport route through Poland, and to predict the effects of using this route for the domestic grain market. Analytical methods are used in the research, including SWOT analysis and variant analysis. It is found that, even with a certain organizational and investment effort, the route through Poland may be, at most, a significant supplement to other export routes. The available transport, reloading, and storage reserves are small when set against the scale of needs related to the replacement of traditional export routes through Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Conclusions are also formulated about the impact of Ukrainian grain transport on the domestic grain market in various scenario options (direct transit, indirect transit, and “penetration” of goods into the Polish market).

The purpose of the article is to review and critique the implementation of food export restrictions in times of crisis in addressing food security challenges. The methodological approach was to undertake a narrative literature review to outline the challenge of ensuring food security in times of crisis. We explored the problem of food export restrictions introduced in 2007–2008 and 2020 and assessed the changes in the state of food security at the national level during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Global Food Security Index (GFSI). The trade restrictions imposed in 2020 did not play a key role in the increases in international food prices as was the case during 2007–2008 and 2010–2011. The analysis of GFSI values questions whether food export restrictions have been sufficient measures given the size of the food security challenge during the pandemic, and this is a new contribution of this research. The issue of food export restrictions is underregulated in the World Trade Organization (WTO), and this needs to be urgently addressed by another institution, e.g., Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), given that the war in Ukraine is endangering food security across the world.

Motivation: The EU sugar industry is one of the most regulated industry which is subject to import duties, subsidies and quotas. Government intervention in sugar markets significantly affects sugar production, consumption and trade. The GATT/WTO negotiations led to the commencement of the liberalization process in the EU sugar market, and initiated a number of reforms aimed at abolishing government support. Consequently, the sugar market in the EU has undergone considerable changes. Proper recognition of the directions of changes will contribute to reducing the difficulties of entities operating on the global sugar market. Aim: The purpose of this publication is to present the forecasts made in 2017 regarding the main categories characterizing the EU sugar market and to verify their validity following the analysis of the actual data. The work uses the forecasts made for 2017–2020 based on empirical data collected from 1993–2016, and then verifies their validity when set against the real data. Results: The results of the research showed that statistical models are not able to predict correctly not only the forecasted values, but also the directions of their changes. The range of indicators of forecast errors was almost 40 percentage points, which reduced their credibility. The Pearson correlation index of over 0.7 indicated a significant correlation between the real data and the forecast values for the consumption or sugar beet harvest, while interpreting the discrepancy coefficient index, which did not exceed 1 for the forecast of the sugar production volume. This allows to conclude that this forecast shows the smallest differentiation in comparison to the actual data obtained.