Dynamic land use changes in metropolitan areas are global phenomena. The influence of urbanisation processes on farmland is twofold: urban encroachments predominantly take place at the expense of farmland, and also result in farmland abandonment processes, especially in Central Eastern and Southern Europe. This paper analyses determinants of farmland abandonment in 280 municipalities situated in six selected Polish metropolitan areas. The analysis, which covers secondary statistical data as well as primary data collected via a survey among experts, applies the regression tree method. Within the six selected metropolitan areas nearly 9% of the farmland is permanently excluded from agricultural production (actual abandonment), plus another 11.5% is currently not being used for production (semi-abandonment). For actual abandonment, physical and economic sizes of farms, part-time farming, and soil quality constitute the most relevant determinants. Socio-economic variables play a more important role in explaining semi-abandonment than actual abandonment. Temporary exclusion of farmland from agricultural production is connected with urbanisation processes. Higher shares of built-up and urbanised areas, higher population densities, and positive migration rates result in higher shares of semi-abandonment. Naturally, areas characterised by agrarian fragmentation, where due to low agricultural incomes farmers more often decided to abandon agricultural production, were, in particular, subject to this process.

Concentrated apple juice (AJC) is a globally traded commodity, with major producers such as China, Poland, and the United States supplying AJC to markets worldwide. The aim of this article is to determine the competitive position of the main global exporters of concentrated apple juice. It also seeks to analyze changes in their positions over the period from 2005 to 2023. Assessing competitive position is important for several economic and business reasons, including identifying leading exporters and recognizing both growing and declining markets. The competitive position was measured using Market Share (MS) indicators, Gross and Net Export Orientation indicators (E_gr, E_net), and the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index. The results reveal significant structural shifts in global AJC trade. Most notably, China’s declining competitiveness, reflected across all indicators, led to its loss of market leadership. This raises questions about the reasons for this decline and whether it presents opportunities for other exporters. This signals a broader reconfiguration in the global AJC supply chain, driven in part by domestic economic changes, such as rising consumption and decreasing export orientation. Simultaneously, other countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, show varying degrees of competitive growth, with Moldova and Ukraine emerging as key players. These trends suggest a diversification of supply sources and a more fragmented competitive landscape. Although national differences persist, the analysis indicates that structural and economic transformations, rather than short-term price signals, are driving the evolving global competitiveness in the AJC market. The observed weak correlations between prior-year apple prices and RCA confirm that broader market and policy factors play a more decisive role.

The aim of this study was to investigate the preferences of young adults in the Polish apple market in response to the declining consumption of these fruits. To address the research questions, a study was conducted among young adults using a custom-designed online questionnaire. The research sample consisted of 729 participants. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, and due to the nature of the data, Wilcoxon tests were also employed to examine differences. The most frequently purchased fruits among young adults were bananas and apples; however, strawberries and raspberries were the most favored. The most preferred apple cultivars were bicolored (e.g., Jonagored) and red (e.g., Gala Royal), while yellow cultivars (e.g., Golden Delicious) were perceived as the least attractive. Young consumers favored apples that were juicy, firm, and moderately sweet. This study demonstrated that the skin color of an apple was associated with expectations regarding its firmness and sweetness. Apples with intense coloration (dark red and green) received the highest valuations, particularly when organically grown. In contrast, apples from conventional production systems were valued below their market price by young consumers, indicating the need for strategies aimed at enhancing their perceived value.

The theoretical part of the paper presents conclusions from the literature review. The empirical part of the paper includes findings of the research carried out by the authors. Amending the human capital definition, based on the new approach from the perspective of equal opportunities, mainly for women, was the main aim and added value of the paper. Based on the previous research, authors hypothesized that the equality of opportunities in the labour market, social life, education and public life generates economic benefits, while the lack of such equality causes losses. To prove that the equality of opportunities enhances the value of human capital, the authors carried out their own research and referred to the findings of other empirical studies, data from the Central Statistical Office, Eurostat and expert opinions from such institutions as the European Institute for Equality of Women and Men in Vilnius (EIGE) and the World Economic Forum, OECD.

Aim: The study concerns unused labor resources such as people with disabilities. The aim of the article is to present the situation of people with disabilities in the labor market and barriers to taking up employment. People with disabilities are in a more difficult situation in the labor market than non-disabled people, which is confirmed by the values of labor market measures. The barriers that make it difficult and sometimes impossible to find a job have been identified and characterized. Methods: The article uses secondary and primary data. Primary data came from research carried out in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. The participants of the study were people with disabilities of working age. The article uses descriptive statistics methods. The results were presented in tabular and graphic form. Results: The most important findings include the observation that the most common reason for people with disabilities not taking up work is poor health, which makes it impossible to take up employment. The second main reason is the fear and reluctance to lose the disability benefit, e.g., disability pension. An important finding is also that people with a minor disability have far fewer barriers than people with a moderate disability. Conclusions: The hypothesis that people with disabilities are a resource of unused labor due to external factors independent of themselves, such as the lack of job offers and the reluctance of employers to employ people with disabilities, has been positively verified. People with disabilities are unused labor resources that need to be activated.

Na rynku usług turystycznych obserwuje się obecnie zmiany w sposobach i stylachzaspokajania potrzeb turystycznych. Prosumpcja na rynku turystycznym przejawia sięgłównie w formie aktywności dotyczącej samodzielnego poszukiwania informacji, ale równieżaktywnego jej kreowania i dzielenia się nią z innymi uczestnikami rynku. Celem artykułu jestocena wybranych zachowań prosumenckich wśród młodzieży akademickiej na rynku usług turystycznych.Przeprowadzono własne badania ankietowe wśród młodzieży akademickiej, którajest bardzo aktywna na polu usług prosumenckich. Ponad połowa respondentów preferujeorganizowanie wyjazdu turystycznego samodzielnie, bez pomocy biura podróży. Konsumencidecydują się na organizację wyjazdów turystycznych przede wszystkim ze względów ekonomicznych,dogodnego terminu wyjazdu, braku konieczności dostosowywania się do innych,podjęcia spontanicznej decyzji o wyjeździe.