In the face of growing climate, economic, and social challenges, an integrated strategy is required to ensure the resilience of food systems in vulnerable regions is strengthened. This study aims to formulate strategies for increasing food security in Mercosur countries amid extreme climate events and socio-economic and environmental crises. These strategies are based on an analysis of the following: (i) changes in food security levels (Global Food Security Index); (ii) self-sufficiency in major agricultural products; (iii) key economic and environmental drivers between 2012 and 2022; and (iv) an assessment of the effectiveness of public policies aimed at alleviating the effects of poverty and drought between 2022 and 2023. A SWOT analysis was conducted to identify the strengths and weaknesses of food systems, as well as the opportunities and threats facing Mercosur countries. Significant differences in food systems’ availability and resilience have been revealed by the results, and the need for integrated regional policies in the countries studied has been highlighted. Recommendations for the region include developing infrastructure and logistics; investing in research and innovation; combatting poverty and inequalities; adapting to the effects of climate change; promoting the local production of fertilisers and biofuels; and implementing coherent monitoring mechanisms (GFSI).

This study examines the impact of agribusiness corporations (large-scale agricultural enterprises) and family farms on the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas in Ukraine, and considers implications for SDG-aligned agri-food value chains that rely on stable access to sustainably produced raw materials. The research applies a multi-criteria decision analysis framework integrating economic, environmental and social indicators at the regional level. Using min–max normalisation, scoring and ranking methods, composite indices of economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, and sustainable rural development were constructed for 20 selected Ukrainian regions, and an integral sustainability index was calculated. Spearman’s rank correlation was applied to identify relationships between sustainability indicators and the structural characteristics of agricultural production. The results reveal pronounced interregional differentiation and an overall predominance of economic over environmental sustainability. Regions with a higher share of family farming demonstrate stronger environmental sustainability and more balanced development patterns, whereas dominance of large-scale enterprises is associated with adverse environmental effects. At the same time, relationships between farm structure and sustainable rural development are weak and not statistically significant, suggesting that social sustainability outcomes depend on more complex and context-dependent mechanisms beyond production scale alone. The findings highlight structural trade-offs between economic efficiency and environmental sustainability and underline the importance of regionally differentiated policy instruments. Strengthening support for family farms is identified as a promising mechanism for improving environmental performance and enhancing upstream conditions for sustainability-oriented sourcing and agri-food value chains.

Globalisation, population growth, climate change, and energy-policy shifts have deepened interdependence between agri-food and energy systems, amplifying price volatility. This study examines the determinants of global wheat and corn price dynamics over 2000–2023, emphasising energy markets (oil and biofuels), agronomic and climatic factors, population pressure, and cross-market interdependencies. Using multiple linear regression with backward selection on annual global data from official sources (FAO, USDA, EIA and market series), we quantify the relative contributions of these drivers. The models explain most of the variation in world prices (R² = 0.89 for wheat; 0.92 for corn). Oil prices are a dominant covariate: a 1 USD/barrel increase in Brent is associated with a 1.33 USD/t rise in the wheat price, while a 1 USD/t increase in the corn price raises the wheat price by 0.54 USD/t. Lower biodiesel output per million people is linked to higher wheat prices (+0.67 USD/t), underscoring the role of biofuel supply conditions. We also document an asymmetric yield effect—higher yields correlate positively with wheat prices but negatively with corn—consistent with crop-specific market mechanisms. Although temperature and precipitation were excluded from the regressions due to collinearity, their strong correlations with yields and biofuel activity signal continuing climate risk. The contribution of this study lies in integrating energy, climate, and agricultural market factors within a single empirical framework, offering evidence of their joint role in shaping staple grain prices. These findings add to the literature on food–energy linkages and provide insights for sustainability policies, particularly the design of integrated energy–agriculture strategies and risk-management instruments to enhance resilience in global food systems.

The technological advances seen over the last 250 years led to a radical revaluation of social and economic structures both on the level of individual countries and the world as a whole. One of the basic consequences of these changes, in addition to their obvious benefits, is the accelerated pace of consumption of natural resources, which, in some locations, takes the form of unbridled destruction of nature and the environment. In these conditions, the key question concerns the future model of economic development, including agriculture and rural areas. One idea that has become increasingly important since the 1970s/1980s as the future direction for change is the sustainable development of agriculture and, consequently, rural areas. This study attempts to define the level of sustainability of both agriculture and rural areas in a supranational configuration, and specifically through a comparative analysis of the relevant regions in Poland and Ukraine. The article employs two research methods: the scoring method and the ranking method. In total, the study was based on twenty variables. The studies that were conducted led to a number of conclusions concerning the sustainability of both agriculture and rural areas in the regional (supranational) configuration.

Background: The article reveals the problems of organic farming in Ukraine. The research showed that small producers, such as family farms, have the ability to produce organic products with the appropriate requirements. It will give the chance to realize it further by means of such strategic...

Aim: Identification of the competitive position of Poland and Ukraine in foreign trade in selected main products of the dairy industry from 2021 to 2023. Material and methods: To assess the level of mutual competitiveness of the Polish and Ukrainian dairy industries on foreign markets (EU...