This paper explores the correlation between state of cluster development in a country and its national competitiveness. Our research hypothesis is that high positive correlation exists between cluster development and national competiveness, meaning that the countries in which clusters are deep and well-developed are at the same time countries that have a high national competitiveness in certain segments of industry and vice versa. The source of the data analysed in this paper is the Competitiveness report of the World Economic Forum 2012–2013 (hereinafter WEF), which includes 144 economies. Linear correlation, including confidence intervals, was used in data analysis. Research hypothesis is accepted by the data. Developing countries cannot follow the direction from building high competitiveness to the development of clusters, but national competitiveness can significantly be improved by development of clusters and encouraging innovation and productivity within the framework of cluster-directed economy.

Authors analyze competitive strength and weakness of raspberry producers in Serbia and propose key prerequisites of which fulfilling will depend develop of successful cluster initiative in Serbian raspberry sector. The research results indicate that Serbian raspberry growers can develop successful cluster and they can keep leading position in the global market of raspberries, only with following many assumptions, like: (a) better organized marketing channel through the vertically and horizontal integration of all actors in this sector,(b) strengthening specialized cooperatives for raspberry production and associations of raspberry growers, and in the future setting up of producer organizations and associations; (c) inclusion of producers of other berries and producers of processed berries; (d) introducing innovations, scientific knowledge, and research and development in production, processing, packing, logistics, export of raspberries, etc. An analysis is based on case study in Šumadija and Western Serbia region, which is major region in raspberry production in Serbia.

Operation of short food supply chains (abbr. SFSCs) during the period of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus provided a lesson which might be useful for perceiving the behaviour of farmers and local food systems in potential future crises caused by various endogenous or exogenous factors. A study based on a sample of 1081 beekeepers in Western Balkan countries shows how beekeepers involved in SFSCs perceived the influence of the pandemic on the growth of demand and sale of honey through these marketing channels. On the scale from 1 (no influence) to 7 (very strong influence), the average rating of 3.53 indicated a weak to moderate influence, which was fairly consistent across the countries of this region. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test determined that large-scale beekeepers, those in mountainous areas, those adding value to honey and beekeepers producing other bee products apart from honey stated that the pandemic had a stronger influence on the growth of demand and sale of honey through SFSCs. At the same time, a higher rating of the pandemic’s influence on sales growth was accompanied by greater limitations of beekeepers regarding the availability of family labour for selling honey, as well as by greater needs for digital marketing knowledge and skills. Binary logistic regression showed that the increase in beekeepers’ age led to the decreased rating of the influence of the pandemic on the growth of demand and sale of honey through SFSCs. It also showed that the influence rating rose with the increase in production capacity, adding value to honey and beekeepers’ needs for digital marketing knowledge and skills. The obtained results provide valuable knowledge about the potential response of SFSCs and involved producers to future crises and disruptions. It is primarily intended for policy makers, but also to practitioners and scientific and expert communities. All of them should respond proactively on behalf of society and prepare themselves for future challenges.

Purpose - Digital transformation in the sector of rural tourism, along with the digital literacy of farmers, is increasingly becoming an imperative for the successful operation of rural tourist households. However, research in this field is scarce in Serbia, which motivated the authors to explore it in more detail. The aim of the research was to examine the awareness of the members of rural tourist households of the need and importance of possessing digital literacy for managing the tourist offer, as well as to study the factors affecting this awareness. Methodology - We used online survey research and a semi-structured questionnaire designed for these needs. The sample involved 131 rural tourist households. Conclusions were drawn using descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistical technique for comparing groups Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings - Members of rural tourist households in Serbia are highly aware of the need and importance of digital literacy for performing tasks in the field of rural tourism. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that only the respondents' attitude towards the importance of marketing for rural tourism development had a statistically significant effect on these attitudes (p=0.000). Implications - Despite the subjectivity inherent in this research, the obtained results enrich scientific knowledge in this field and provide useful information for practitioners and policymakers in the areas of rural development and rural tourism.

Science, technological development, innovation, competitive research for innovation, university-industry collaboration in R&D, quality of scientific research institutions and state of cluster development today are key factors of competitiveness and sustainable development of all economies. In this paper authors analyse the correlation of the state of cluster development and innovation in national economies and give recommendations and ways of improving the innovative potential in Serbian economy, with emphasis on agriculture sector. Research hypothesis is set as: expressed positive linear correlation exists between cluster development and national innovation potential, meaning that the countries in which clusters are deep and well-developed are at the same time countries which have a high national innovation potential and vice-versa. The source of the data analysed in this paper is the Competitiveness report of the World Economic Forum 2017-2018. Linear correlation, including confidence intervals, was used in data analysis and research hypothesis is accepted by the data. Application of innovations in production value chain requires stimulating innovation policy of the state, great financial investments in the private sectors, as well as professional support of scientific-research and educational institutions, through the cluster initiatives.

Poljoprivreda je jedan od stubova ekonomskog razvoja Republike Srbije, a njen značaj za nacionalnu ekonomiju, pored ekonomske ima i socijalnu i ekološku komponentu. Međutim, pored velikog potencijala u sektoru poljoprivredne proizvodnje koji je rezultat povoljnih klimatskih uslova, prirodnih karakteristika zemljišta i raspoloživih vodnih resursa, on nije optimalno iskorišćen. Upravo zbog ovakvog potencijala poljoprivreda u Srbiji ne predstavlja običnu privrednu granu, budući da je u svim opštinskim ili regionalnim strategijama definisana kao jedan od strateških pravaca razvoja. Međutim, uspešno uključivanje u međunarodno tržište ograničava nedovoljan asortiman prehrambenih proizvoda u odnosu na aktuelnu ponudu u razvijenom svetu, pri čemu je zapostavljeno istraživanje za veće iskorišćenje postojećih kapaciteta kroz uvođenja novih linija i proizvoda. Kao ograničavajući faktor ističe se osciliranje kvaliteta tržišnih proizvoda kako zbog nepostojanja standarda tako i zbog nepoštovanja i nedovoljne kontrole postojećih standarda. Takođe, sporo je prilagođavanje tržišnim kriterijumima poslovanja koji se baziraju na uvođenju savremenih sistema menadžmenta i marketinga. Nedovoljna predvidivost u poslovanju prehrambene industrije uslovljena je nepostojanjem dugoročnih ugovornih odnosa između prehrambene industrije i proizvođača sirovina, kao i nepostojanjem tržišne integrisanosti, primarne poljoprivredne proizvodnje i industrije koja za svoj input koristi upravo poljoprivredne proizvode.