The Russian–Ukrainian conflict has led to the disruption of global supply chains, thus posing a threat to food security. The study aimed to assess the short-term impact of the conflict on food supply and global retail food prices resulting from the disruption of agri-food exports from Ukraine after the war outbreak. To assess the impact of the conflict on retail prices worldwide, the actual food price level during the conflict period was compared with the counterfactual values obtained from the forecasting models. The research points to a significant decline in Ukraine’s commodity exports at the beginning of the conflict leading to a supply gap for cereals in particular, affecting global access to staple foods. As a result, global food commodity prices rose sharply, however, the upsurge was short-lived, and as early as July 2022 price indices returned to their pre-war levels. On the other hand, in most regions worldwide the gradual and persistent increase in retail food prices was observed after the war outbreak. The study also found strong regional differentiation in the response of retail food prices to the conflict due to various specific factors that exacerbated or mitigated the impact of the war.

Despite significant efforts of the Vietnamese government, the issue of gender discrimination in access to credit is still a major concern. This paper uses the zero-inflated negative binomial regression model for count panel data of small and medium enterprises in Vietnam to examine the issue across industries and firm sizes over time. Results indicate that women-led enterprises have a 34% higher likelihood of loans being denied than men-led firms. The situation is even more serious depending on industry and macropolicy. For example, the gap in the likelihood of loans being denied between women-led enterprises and their men-led counterparts increases to 67% in male-intensive industries and 71% in periods of tight monetary policy. In addition, firm size and location determine the probability of formal loan rejection.

The outbreak of war in Ukraine has severely disrupted global food and agricultural markets and affected commodity prices. The grain agreement, also known as the Black Sea Initiative, was concluded on 22 July 2022 by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations, to alleviate the global food crisis caused by the conflict. This study aims to ascertain whether the agreement has resulted in the stabilization of cereal markets, examining the evolution of prices of wheat and corn, which are of significant importance in Ukrainian exports, throughout the duration of the agreement, including its signing, implementation, and expiration. The analysis, based on the GARCH model and using daily quotations of corn and wheat futures contracts of the European futures exchange Euronext from December 2021 to May 2024, indicates that prices were characterized by exceptionally high volatility in the period preceding the signing of the agreement, and at the time of its expiration. The uncertainty regarding cereal trade conditions has triggered shocks, with a long-lasting impact on price volatility.

The study addresses the problem of identifying the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on the situation on the grain market in Poland. The analysis covered price changes, the volume and structure of exports and imports. The effects of the crisis in the field of trade policy were assessed. The source of materials for the analyzes was the literature on the subject and empirical research conducted by various institutions dealing in trade in agricultural products. The information used in the work came from the European Agricultural Products Exchange (MATIF), the World Bank, market reports of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the European Commission. The most up-to-date reports from the United Nations, Reuters and European institutions were also used. It was found that the situation on the cereal market is extremely dynamic. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has caused many problems on EU agricultural markets, including grain markets. There was a significant increase in the prices of wheat and corn. There were no significant changes in foreign trade directions. In the structure of Polish grain exports and imports, corn and wheat are still the most important, and in 2022, the dominant place for wheat and corn purchases was Ukraine. However, the dominant direction of grain exports was Germany.

The aim of this study was to determine factors influencing consumer decisions on the purchase of meat and find out how important in making the decisions is the criterion of animal welfare. The study was based on reports and other publications of the European Commission, literature review, as well as field research carried out among consumers, using an interview questionnaire (the PAPI method). The purpose of the research was to analyse diversity of customer buying habits, depending on such variables as their age, education, place of residence (urban or rural area) and the level of income. The results of the χ2 test prove that there are correlations between the education, place of residence and income of the respondents and their decisions to purchase meat from farms maintaining animal welfare. No correlations were found between the age of the respondents and their decisions to purchase meat from farms maintaining animal welfare. The findings also prove that less than 50% of the society of Poland has encountered the concept of animal welfare. The key criteria for decisions on the purchase of meat and meat products were the price and easy preparation.