Establishment of FADN in Croatia enabled the assessment of the importance of subsidies for the agricultural producer’s income. Low and variable farm income has been a main rationale for heavy ...government intervention in agricultural markets and income transfers to farmers. According to the analysed data subsidies have the greatest importance for the types such as grazing livestock and dairy farms, while the least dependent on subsidies are horticultural crops. The smallest share of the subsidies in gross farm output has the largest holdings (>500,000 EUR) and the smallest (4,000-8,000 EUR), and the largest one has an economic size of 50,000-500,000 EUR.). The share of subsidies in the total output is the same in both the Adriatic and Continental regions and does not depend on the age of the farm holder. Since Croatian farms are heavily dependent on subsidies, and in the light of the announced changes in the new Common Agricultural Policy (2021-2027), it is possible to expect a reduction of gross farm income, where the most vulnerable types are cattle, sheep and goat.
The Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) enables analysis and comparison of farms business data, and the dairy sector has been selected because of its great importance in the European Union (EU). ...This paper analyses the economic characteristics of Croatian dairy farms divided into three types (based on herd size), in the period from the year 2014 to 2018. While the number of smaller farms is declining, there is a slight increase in the largest farm type. The amount of milk produced per farm is also growing, but it is still significantly lower than the European average. According to the realized net value added per unit of labour, small and medium-sized dairy farms are below, while large ones are above the European average. The share of direct payments in net value added is higher for all farm types compared to the European average. Relatively low milk yield and selling price, with high operating costs results in lower net production margins and affects the lower competitiveness of smaller farms with lower yields. According to the results of the FADN analysis, the largest Croatian dairy farms Type 3 (with 50 or more cows in the herd) are fully competitive to European farms in terms of economic results. The problem of Croatian dairy farming is that there are only few competitive farms, so different agricultural and rural development measures should support the empowerment of smaller farms, as well as strengthen the competitiveness of the whole dairy sector.
Considering the challenging market conditions for dairy farms, calf gender management should be one of the tools used to increase profitability. The objective of this paper was to examine the effect ...of calf gender on lactation milk traits in Holstein and Simmental cows. Holstein cows that calved a female calf had a higher milk yield (p<0.0001) and lower milk fat and protein content (p<0.01) in the first lactation. The favourable effect of female calf on milk yield was also found in the second lactation of Holstein cows (p<0.0001). Simmental cows that calved female calves in the first and the second lactation also had higher milk yield and lactation gain, however the differences were not significant. Although no statistically significant effect of calf gender on milk yield was determined in the Simmental population, indications of positive effect of female calf gender on lactation milk yield impose the need for further research. Using gender selected semen as a tool for calf gender management could enable to increase the milk yield of Holstein cows and the profitability of Holstein farms as well.
The choice of the appropriate variety of fruit is one of the most important factors in establishing new orchards. It is necessary to choose the variety that will give the best results in meeting the ...investment goals. This paper offered an innovative decision support model for plum variety selection, based on expert decision making and fuzzy logic. The fuzzy MARCOS (Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution) method was used. The research was conducted with the aim of improving plum production in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). To achieve this, the knowledge of experts from the Republic of Serbia was used, because this country is currently the third in the world in plum production and have branded many plum varieties. The results obtained using this model showed that two plum varieties stand out - Čačanska rodna and Stanley. These results were also confirmed by the performed sensitivity analysis. The worst results were obtained by the Šumadijka variety. These results will help in the selection of plum varieties when establishing new orchards in BiH to achieve the best results in Bosnian plum production.
Coastal region of Croatia is rich in autochthonous grape varieties. Many of them have been almost abandoned, such as the autochthonous varieties of Kastav (Croatia), used for the production of the ...Kastavska Belica wine. Therefore, the rationale of the presented study is to characterize autochthonous grape varieties Verdić, Mejsko belo, Jarbola, Divjaka and Brajkovac. In addition, we performed a molecular characterization of the corresponding Belica wines.
Firstly, the genetic origin and ampelographic and economic characteristics of five autochthonous grape varieties were determined. Standard physicochemical profiles and phenolic components of 12 wines from different producers were determined by liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-QQQ-MS). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used for determination of standard physicochemical parameters.
Ampelographic analysis, which includes the data on producing characteristics and cluster and berry composition of the varieties, revealed significant differences between the analysed grape varieties. Results of the physicochemical analysis of the Belica wine showed that all wines met the requirements needed for the production of quality and top quality wines labelled with protected designation of origin (PDO) in Croatian coastal region. The LC-QQQ-MS analysis confirmed the presence of different phenolic components in the Belica wines, where the most prominent phenols were flavonoids from the flavan-3-ol group. Overall, these results showed that autochthonous grapes from the Kastav region can be used for production of wines with added market value due to a growing demand for autochthonous products on the global market.
The presented results give scientific insight and a basis for further determination of the optimal cultivation technology aimed to take advantage of the best characteristics of each variety for production of a wine with desirable features.
The practical application of grape quality zoning and selective harvesting in small vineyards (<1 ha) has not yet gained much importance worldwide. However, winegrowers with small vineyards are ...looking for ways to improve wine quality and maximise profit. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the most predictive vegetation index for grape quality zoning among three vegetation indices—NDVI, NDRE, and OSAVI—at three grapevine growth stages for the efficient use in small vineyards for the selective harvesting and production of different wine types from the same vineyard. Multispectral images were used to delineate two vigour zones at three different growth stages. The target vines were sampled, and the most predictive vegetation index was determined by overlapping the quality and vigour structures for each site and year. A differential economic analysis was performed, considering only the costs and revenues associated with grape quality zoning. The results show that OSAVI is the least predictive, while NDVI and NDRE are useful for grape quality zoning and selective harvesting. Multi-year monitoring is required to determine the ideal growth stage for image acquisition. The use of grape quality zoning and selective harvesting can be economically efficient for small wineries producing two different “super-premium” wines from the same vineyard.
The research aims to determine the conditions in the beekeeping sector of Mediterranean area at the case study of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, to identify areas with special environmental profile, to ...evaluate the honey produced in these areas and to analyze the possibility of linking beekeeping with tourism and related industries and services. According to a set of targets, several activities were conducted: analysis of the types of honey, technological processes and deviations from good beekeeping practices, determining the amount of investment, yields and income in honey production, analysis of the sales price, grade of marketability and sales channels of honey. The results show opportunities in production improvements by certain types of beekeepers, ways of beekeepers organizations and business associations and all that towards greater utilization of beekeeping capacity, as well as the increase of the commercial value of bee products and its integration with other economic activities.
Cattle breeding is a very important part of agricultural production in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and milk production has a vital place in cattle breeding production. From an economic point of ...view, milk production is interesting as it is a daily production which presupposes faster marketing, which accelerates capital movement in agriculture, which in turn enhances liquidity. This research uses analyses of the existing state in milk production. The collected data are processed and cost calculation has been designed which enables the analysis of economic indicators of 4 dairy farm production models in B&H. Based on the collected data on features and values of dairy farm production models in B&H an analysis of expert evaluation was conducted as input data for DEXi method. The aim of this paper is to ascertain the basic indicators of business success of 4 dairy farm production models in B&H. Production-ecological, economic and socio-political features of the mentioned dairy farm models were analyzed. Based on the used criteria a rate of dairy farm production models using DEXi method was conducted. The results of the research in this paper using DEXi method show that the best model for dairy farm is model number four, which includes 45 milk cows.
Agroturizam kao pojam nije novijeg datuma, počeo se razvijati početkom 20. stoljeća. Glavni razlog uvod strok signenja agroturizma je poboljšanje prihoda i životnog standarda ruralnog stanovništva. ...Cilj ovog rada je procijeniti održivu agroturističku ponudu u BiH i na temelju nje dati smjernice za poboljšanje konkurentnosti ove vrste turizma u BiH. U tu svrhu je provedeno istraživanje kroz dva koraka. Prvi korak je bio procijeniti trenutno stanje, a drugi korak je davanje smjernica za razvoj ove vrste turizma u BiH. Za ocjenu trenutnog stanja agroturizma je korištena DEX metoda (eng. Decision EXpert) i stručno odlučivanje uz pomoć modela odlučivanja s kriterijima održivosti. Nasumičnim uzorkom odabrano je šest objekata u BiH koje su ocjenjivali stručnjaci i dali trenutno stanje agroturizma u tim objektima. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su da svaki od proučenih predmeta ima svoje prednosti i mane. Najveći objekata je (ne) primjena ekoloških standarda, a prednosti su u obliku kulturnih i prirodnih resursa. Svaki od objekata mora otkloniti nedostatke i izgraditi konkurentnost na tržištu.
Invasive alien species (IAS) are a significant and growing problem worldwide. In Europe, some aspects of IAS have been addressed through existing legal instruments, but these are far from sufficient ...to tackle the problem comprehensively. The FINS II Conference considered the relevance of Top 20 IAS issues (Top 10 threats and opportunities) for Europe determined at the 1st Freshwater Invasiveness – Networking for Strategy (FINS I) conference held in Ireland in 2013. Using a similar format of sequential group voting, threats from FINS I (lack of funding, of awareness and education; poor communication) and several new threats (lack of lead agencies, of standardized management and of common approach; insufficient monitoring and management on private property) were identified by 80 academics, applied scientists, policy makers and stakeholders from 14 EU and three non-EU countries (including 10 invited speakers) during four workshop break-out sessions (legislation remit in both EU/non-EU countries; best management and biosecurity practice for control; data management and early warning; pathways of introductions and citizen science). Identified opportunities include improved cooperation and communication, education and leadership to enhance public awareness and stakeholder participation, systems establishment for early detection, rapid response, monitoring and management of IAS using standardised methods of data collection, storage and usage. The sets of threats and opportunities identified underline the importance of international cooperation on IAS issues in communication, education and funding as priorities, as well as in standardization of legislation, control methods and best practise of research.
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