THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SUSTAINABILITY AND COMPETITIVENESS, THE ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF EXISTING INTERACTIONS IN AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES

SZÁLTELEKI, PÉTER – SOLTI, IZABELLA – BACSI, ZSUZSANNA – BÁNHEGYI, GABRIELLA – PUPOS, TIBOR

Keywords: Keywords: sustainable agriculture, competitiveness, production and business strategies JEL: Q15, Q18, R11

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53079/GAZDALKODAS.68.4.t.pp_297-337
Based on the interpretation and analysis of different paradigms related to the topic, which is included in the first part of the study, we found that there are different views on several issues regarding the principles and tools of agricultural sustainability. According to the related literature, it can be considered that the realization of agroecological goals has now become the main direction and one of the best possible solutions to ensure agricultural sustainability. At the same time, however, several questions arise: such as how sustainability and competitiveness relate to each other, what happens with the profitability of agricultural production, and the future of the growing need for secure food supply when using low input but environmentally friendly technological solutions. These questions seem to be partly unanswered by the authors of the mentioned literature.
The framework of the joint implementation of sustainability and competitiveness is outlined in the new (2023-2027) Common Agricultural Policy program with special objectives – enhanced competitiveness, fair income, environment protection, safeguarding landscape, and biodiversity, etc. On an instrumental level the main emphasis is on the F2F strategy, targeting the transformation of the EU agriculture into a sustainable food system. To achieve this, the volume of certain inputs must be reduced. The innovative methods in the livestock sector and in cultivation will continue to play an important role, as they can contribute to ensuring the balance between sustainability and competitiveness. In the second part of our study, we analyze the economic aspects of some solutions offered by the scientific literature. The economic aspects of sustainability and competitiveness relations for broiler production were quantified by using our model calculations. Based on the results it can be concluded that universally valid recommendations and solutions are not available for securing the balance of sustainability and competitiveness. The equilibrium depends on the production structure of the enterprise, which is determined by the embeddedness of the place of production, as a spatial unit into the rural economy, into the institutional-environmental system, and by the professional competence of the farmer or management, and finally by their attitude towards sustainability.
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