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Oczekiwania konsumentów względem oferty agroturystycznej
Agritourism is a subject of growing interest among consumers, therefore, the key to the success of agritourism activities is to know the expectations and preferences of customers. The purpose of the study was to present the expectations of consumers of agritourism services, including the factors and elements of choosing this form of recreation, and what additional services and attractions would be most desirable. The empirical material was collected through desk research and a diagnostic survey using the CAWI technique. The surveys were conducted in March 2023 and the research sample consisted of 200 people. They showed that among the most important reasons for choosing an agritourism farm as a place to relax were the opportunity to spend more time with the family, the attractive price of services, and the possibility of taking advantage of the food offered by the host. On the other hand, respondents indicated a desire to rest in a peaceful environment and direct contact with nature as the main elements for choosing agritourism farms. In addition, the survey showed that the attractive price of the agritourism offer is a significant factor in encouraging people to take advantage of their stay on agritourism farms.
Functioning of care farms in Poland on the example of a selected case study
The aim of the article is to present the most important issues and key information regarding the concept of foster farms in shaping local development. The article uses the method of analysis of secondary materials, including the literature on the subject – Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Theoretical and practical conditions, methods and hitherto effects of implementing the concept of care farms were presented. An example of a caring farm with regard to the services provided was presented. The role and significance of this type of services are presented, which are undoubtedly an attractive product (service) that can be used by seniors. The establishment of foster farms in rural Poland is an innovative idea that is implemented in the context of social agriculture. In the future, social farming activities (social farming) can contribute to the sustainable development of rural areas. This will enable an increasingly sustainable development of rural areas by reducing poverty and increasing farm incomes. Such activities can stabilize social and economic life in rural areas.
Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Agritourism Farm Stays and Their Safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Poland
The article presents reasons for the choices and opinions of tourists regarding rest and its safety in agritourism farms in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We used the diagnostic survey method. We distributed the questionnaire via the Internet on Facebook in thematic groups related to tourism. Facebook respondents were also asked to provide a link to the questionnaire to their tourism-active friends (snowball sampling). We conducted the survey in January 2021. Research has shown that well-educated and well-off residents of cities most often chose agritourism. The main reason for the choice is the possibility of rest in peace and quiet, natural values, and an attractive price. Notably, during the pandemic, an important reason for choosing agritourism was to convince tourists that the risk of coronavirus infection was relatively low. This is also evidenced by the fact that most of them visited an agritourism farm for the first time during the pandemic. The attractiveness of staying on an agritourism farm was assessed highly (almost all respondents expressed their willingness to take advantage of this form of leisure again). This is due to the high evaluation of the quality of services provided, the offer’s attractiveness, and price competitiveness.
Reasons Behind Differences in the Use of the “Carbon Farming and Nutrient Management” Eco-Scheme Across the Polish Territory
Today, there is an ongoing discourse on the notion of carbon farming on an international scale. The underlying factors contributing to this phenomenon are numerous. Firstly, the degradation of intensively farmed soils is increasing, and secondly, there is a clear need to restore their biodiversity. A multitude of pollutants stemming from agricultural production have incited the implementation of targeted measures, notably by the European Commission. Consequently, the adoption of the European Green Deal in Poland has prompted the agricultural sector to implement a series of modifications to its practices, with the objective of enhancing soil cultivation and animal husbandry methods. In response to these changes, the introduction of carbon farming practices is being proposed. These practices, which are to be implemented in Polish agriculture with the support of EU subsidies, are intended to mitigate the effects of climate change. This prompts further inquiry into the potential evolution of carbon farming practices and the extent of farmer interest in them. According to the available data, in Poland, 56% of the total agricultural area was covered by payments under the carbon farming eco-scheme. However, support was accessed by barely 31% of farms with an area of more than 1 ha. In turn, from a regional perspective, data analysis reveals significant regional differences in the use of support. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the structural, environmental, and production reasons behind differences in the use of the “Carbon farming and nutrient management“ eco-scheme across the Polish territory. The headline result is that participation is strongly associated with farm structure, moderately with production performance, and only weakly with environmental status.
Physical Activity and Sleep Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Cluster Analysis
This study examined the relationship between physical activity levels and sleep quality among students during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying patterns through clustering analysis. A longitudinal cohort of 1,600 students from Wroclaw Medical University, Poland participated from October 2020 to March 2021, with data collected in two stages: Stage I (n = 845) after six months and Stage II (n = 755) after one year. Physical activity levels, measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-S), were categorized as low, moderate, or high in metabolic equivalent of task (MET) minutes per week, while sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), classifying participants as “good” or “poor” sleepers. Clustering analysis applied hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) on 2021 data. Walking MET scores increased for both genders from 2020 to 2021, with significant gender differences. Females showed increased total MET, while male scores remained stable. Four clusters emerged: Clusters 1 and 2, with high walking plus vigorous or moderate activity, had shorter sleep durations, suggesting higher activity supports better sleep. Cluster 3, with low vigorous and moderate activity, had longer sleep duration, while Cluster 4, with irregular activity, showed the longest sleep duration, indicating inconsistent activity may increase sleep needs. Overall, consistent and varied physical activity may support optimal sleep patterns among students.
Use of Union Funds in Developing Agricultural Entrepreneurship between 2014 and 2020 in Poland
The purpose of this paper was to examine the differences in using agricultural entrepreneurship support and how it relates to characteristics such as the agrarian structure, socioeconomic development level, and land use across the Polish territory. The analyses were carried out at the district (poviat) level which is an intermediate administrative unit. This study found that the decisions on co-financing the measures dedicated to non-agricultural economic activity heavily depended on the agrarian structure. The highest levels of activity were witnessed in districts where the agrarian structure was particularly fragmented.
Rural women’s health: examples of programs designed to support the health aspect of female rural population
Health is among the important topics addressed at an international level. It largely affects the physical condition of humans, and is a condition for proper physical and mental development. This paper is an overview of programs designed to ensure adequate preventive healthcare and health security for Polish women. It also focuses on presenting selected results of research carried out with a group of female inhabitants of the Gniezno district. The study provides grounds for concluding that while rural women are willing to access the services offered by the National Health Fund, they declare to pay out of their own pocket for half of their specialized doctor appointments.
Rola ogrodów społecznych w kształtowaniu relacji społecznych
Jednym z ważnych tematów podejmowanych przez wielu naukowców, urbanistów, architektów, psychologów w sferze społecznej jest rola i znaczenie ogrodów społecznych w mieście. Współcześnie jednym z aspektów zainteresowania ogrodami społecznymi jest potrzeba kontaktu z przyrodą w wysoce cyfrowym i zurbanizowanym świecie. Powolna zmiana trendów konsumenckich, którą aktualnie można zaobserwować, jest związana ze wzrostem świadomości na temat zachodzących zmian klimatycznych i potrzebach wzmacniania więzi społecznych. W artykule przedstawiono ideę funkcjonowania ogrodów społecznych na terenach miejskich jako miejsca, które służyć ma do nawiązywania relacji międzyludzkich i budowania więzi społecznych w lokalnej przestrzeni. Aby zrealizować postawiony cel, posłużono się metodą desk research. Ponadto skoncentrowano się na przedstawieniu wybranych case study ogrodów społecznych w Polsce na przykładzie miast Poznania i Wageningen w Holandii. Na podstawie przeprowadzonego studium literaturowego można stwierdzić, że idea zakładania i funkcjonowania ogrodów społecznych w Polsce będzie się rozwijać z uwagi na postępujące zmiany, m.in. demograficzne czy w zakresie świadomości ekologicznej.
Legal and Economic Conditions for Running a Care Farm: A Polish Case Study
The purpose of this paper is to present the situation of Polish care farms in the context of legal and economic conditions. The need to analyze this topic arises from the current lack of literature that has synthetically addressed the challenges posed by the ageing population in the European Union, including in Poland. The research gap revealed by the authors is especially prominent when it comes to aspects related to the setting up and running of care farms in Poland. Therefore, this paper analyzes the legal forms of establishing a care farm. Next, it discusses the economic aspects of how care farms operate. Based on research materials, especially including those retrieved through the use of the formal dogmatic approach, the authors determined the formal conditions for the setting up and successive running of care farms. The authors have analyzed with the help of formal dogma the forms of running care farms in Poland referring to the current legislation, as well as the position presented in the literature. Also, due to the method used in analyzing the materials collected in this study, the authors have presented their views on how to finance such facilities. Findings from this research confirm that Polish care farms have promising outlooks as they respond to the changing needs of an ageing society. Moreover, as a result of the formal dogmatics method used, it was found that in Poland the most common form of running a care farm is an association. This is because the establishment of an association does not require the fulfillment of many legal criteria as is the case with a sole proprietorship. For this reason, those interested in starting a care farm may opt for the association form.
Agritourism farms as places of providing therapeutic services for people with autism spectrum disorder
The aim of the article was to present the development of agritourism farms in terms of providing therapeutic services for people with autism. The literature review concerned Polish and Ukrainian farms. Autism in children can also be treated through contact between patients and domestic and farm animals. Therapies involving animals are called zootherapy and can be carried out in care farms, and additionally in those where tourist recreation is possible i.e. agritourism farms. The article draws attention to the benefits of contact between children with autism spectrum disorders and animals. The study presents a case study from Poland.
Agricultural production in the least developed countries and its impact on emission of greenhouse gases - An energy approach
An Empirical Assessment of Students’ Tourist Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Gender Perspective: Evidence from Poland
The purpose of this research is to reveal the tourist preferences of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on differences between genders. This study was carried out in January 2021 and relied on the CAWI technique with a questionnaire distributed on social media. The snowball method was used to reach a wider audience. Valid questionnaires were retrieved from 870 respondents, primarily women (66.8%). The results demonstrate that tourist activity was witnessed despite the pandemic, but it differed between men and women. The latter travelled more often and for longer periods, and they chose August and September from the summer months. Although most travelling students sought active recreation, female students more frequently decided to be less active or opted for passive leisure during their stays. Unlike men, women sought safety and therefore mostly opted for individual apartments or hotels; staying with family or friends was a much less popular scenario for them, primarily because they feared it could expose their loved ones to the virus. For the whole group covered by the survey, sanitary and epidemiological restrictions, the reduced availability of attractions in tourist destinations, and increased prices were the main inconveniences that they faced when travelling in 2020.
Health Tourism-Subject of Scientific Research: A Literature Review and Cluster Analysis
The purpose of this article is to identify main research areas in health tourism in scientific research. The data used in this analysis span from 2000 to 2022, was retrieved from the Web of Science database, and comprises a total of 1493 bibliometric records of publications. The paper includes both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis. The following four main research areas were identified based on the results: (1) patient satisfaction built upon trust; (2) health impacts of the destination (including the economic aspect, which plays a decisive role in choosing a tourism destination); (3) health behavior as a major part of human activity; and (4) traveling with a view to regain one’s health. Note that the limitations of this study—which mostly affect the methodological part—need to be taken into consideration. This is the consequence of the selected publication database and of the search criteria used, such as the publication year or language.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Tourist Travel Risk Perception and Travel Behaviour: A Case Study of Poland
This article aims to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perception of the risk of travel and travel behaviour by Poles. The study was conducted using the survey method and the CAWI technique and was carried out in January 2021. The final research sample consisted of 509 respondents. Tourism has always been exposed to various threats: natural disasters, terrorism, etc. In such cases, tourists choose a different, safe direction. However, in 2020, tourism found itself facing a crisis that brought it to a complete stop worldwide. The spread of the COVID-19 virus and safety concerns, as well as global travel restrictions, led to a change in travel during this time. The results show that the respondents resigned especially from going abroad for security reasons, choosing to rather stay in the country and other places that, from their point of view, were safer places to rest.