Bosnia and Herzegovina has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing quarantine and other social distancing measures. These measures, however, have mental, social, and economic consequences on diet and food behaviors. The Bosnian case is particularly pertinent since the country has one of the highest global mortality rates relative to its population. In addition, its health system is fragmented and under-resourced. Consequently, in this study, we analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bosnians’ behaviors relating to food. It is based on an online survey performed during October–November 2020 with 3133 adult respondents. The statistical analysis encompassed descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and frequencies), as well as cluster analysis. The results reveal that the pandemic transformed consumers’ shopping behaviors and food sourcing, reducing shopping frequency and increasing food bought on each trip. Furthermore, there was an increase in the consumption of local food items due to food safety concerns. Additionally, the pandemic improved the awareness of Bosnians towards food with a decrease in food waste. Regarding diets, Bosnians tried to have healthier diets during the pandemic. Therefore, COVID-19 might have opened a ‘window of opportunity’ to promote the shift towards more sustainable food consumption and lifestyles.

Purpose: The purpose of the research was to determine food consumer behaviour and attitudes towards food consumption and household food waste in Montenegro. Since the period of conducting the research coincided with the expansion of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Montenegro (10–14 weeks since its outbreak), the results of this research could indicate the emerging pandemic circumstances.Design/methodology/approach: A total of 529 consumers were surveyed online, and 514 questionnaires met the requirements of further statistical processing. Data were processed by methods of descriptive statistics and chi-square test of association between socio-economic characteristics of respondents and their attitudes, as well as cluster analysis.Findings: The main findings of the research are (1) consumers in Montenegro are quite responsible for the use of food because they throw away a small part, both in quantity and value; (2) Montenegrin households still practice a traditional way of life with frequent preparation and consumption of food at home and use of leftovers; (3) consumers have confusing perceptions regarding date labels of industrially processed foods; (4) during the COVID-19 pandemic, 17.3% of consumers increased and 11.8% decreased the frequency of food purchases, while 20.7% increased and 5.1% decreased food waste.Originality/value: The work is highly original and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no other article that analysed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food wastage and food-related behaviours during the outbreak of the pandemic in Montenegro (May–June 2020). Therefore, the work fills a gap in research and knowledge and sets a baseline for future studies.

Fruit is one of the essential products in the proper nutrition of the population. In the conditions of free trade, due to the great economic importance of fruits and fruit products, fruit foreign trade is subject to constant monitoring and evaluation of the production and consumption conformity. The aim of this paper is to analyze the volume, dynamics and structure of fruit production and consumption in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the period 2014-2017, and point to the need for greater alignment of fruit production and consumption. Data from secondary sources were studied to determine the degree of self-sufficiency for apples, pears and plums, the three main fruit species in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methodologically, the level of self-sufficiency was calculated using formulas recommended by FAO and the Laspeyres aggregated price index. The degree of self-sufficiency in apple is between 70% and 86%, depending on the year. Pear has the lowest production but slightly higher degree of self-sufficiency compared to apple (88-96%). BiH has a surplus only in plum, in both fresh plums and plum products, which means that the degree of self-sufficiency is higher than 100% by 2-5%. Given its geographical location and climatic conditions, BiH could produce more fruit than its current production, fully meet the needs of its population, and generate a surplus in its foreign trade.

In modern conditions, characterized by the growing importance of foreign trade between the countries, relations of a country with international environment play an increasingly impor­tant role in economic development. Over the last decade the process of economic integration through the removal of barriers for the free movement of goods, services, money and people has improved job creation and economic growth. From economic cooperation with foreign countries should expect positive effects on the economy of the state if the external economic factor used in accordance with the plans and programs of economic development of a coun­try. Thereto, there are social forces that can decide relatively independently to all elements of internal development and cooperation with foreign countries. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the CEFTA 2006 on the foreign trade of agricultural products in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this respect it may be noted that foreign trade of agricultural products has an impact on the agricultural sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aim of this research was to determine a sustainable economic model of a milk farm in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the possibility of reorientation of raw milk production into cheese on-farm processing. All investment costs, annual production costs, production quantities, prices and annual income were collected through an unstructured questionnaire. The case study farm, originally engaged in milk production, reoriented itself to processing milk into several products. A cost–benefit analysis was applied for the 14-year project lifetime, as well as the Black–Scholes and binomial models of real options evaluation for shifting to cheese production in the fourth year of the project. The milk production farm is economically inefficient, and the investment project is unacceptable, resulting in negative net present value under assumed typical production parameters, and the payback period is longer than the project lifetime. The cheese production option value is positive according to the Black–Scholes and binominal models. Both real options models confirmed that processing milk into cheese is sustainable long-term and economically.

The development of agricultural sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is still determined by the processes of transition of the economic system and overcoming the consequences of the last war. Therefore, it inevitably requires modernization which again requires investments. Provided financial sources are the main preconditions for investing, so the researching sources and terms of financing investments in agricultural sector in BiH are the actual subject of research. The goal of the research presented in this paper is to determine sources of financing agricultural business at the level of family farms, dominating in the agriculture of BiH, the structure of their investment, lending conditions and other sources of financing and farmers' satisfaction with those conditions. Besides the review of literature, the research has been conducted by interviewing a random sample of hundred family farms from the five different regions in BiH, in spring of 2016. The results indicate that self-financing is still a dominant source of financing agricultural businesses, which reduces and slows down level of investment. The next source by relevance is lending (the farmers are not very satisfied with the lending terms and conditions), and followed by subsidies.