Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lubos SMUTKA Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of economics and management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jindrich SPICKA Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Natalia ISHCHUKOVA Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of economics and management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Richard SELBY Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of economics and management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Agrarian import ban and its impact on the Russian and European Union agrarian trade performance Abstract: The main objective of the paper is to identify the impact of the Russian agrarian import ban on imports of certain agricultural products from Europe, Norway, Canada, the USA and Australia. The import ban particularly affected the import of competitive agricultural and foodstuff commodities into Russia. The ban was the result of the political and security tensions existing between the Russian Federation and the Western World, since early 2014. If we take into consideration the volume of the mutual trade and the importance of the mutual trade for each of the stakeholders mentioned above, it can be assumed that the main objectives of the Russian embargo was not to hurt the individual countries - especially the European Union, but rather to support domestic producers in order to achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency in basic agricultural products. It is evident that the objective of the applied import ban is to reduce the dependence of the Russian Federation on imports. This paper provides an analysis of the most affected product groups and products, especially in relation to the EU countries. The paper provides the following findings: The result of the applied import ban was a significant reduction of the Russian agrarian import value. The import ban also improved the overall competitiveness of the Russian agricultural trade, whilst on the other hand, the competitiveness of some commodity groups was reduced. Keywords: agrarian and foodstuff products, embargo, self-sufficiency, trade balance Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 493-506 Volume: 62 Issue: 11 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/294/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/294/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201611-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:62:y:2016:i:11:id:294-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Anna NOWAK Author-Workplace-Name: University of Life Science in Lublin, Lublin, Poland Author-Name: Agnieszka KAMINSKA Author-Workplace-Name: University of Life Science in Lublin, Lublin, Poland Title: Agricultural competitiveness: The case of the European Union countries Abstract: The paper assesses the competitiveness of agriculture of 27 countries of the European Union in the years 2009-2011. Due to the complexity of the phenomenon of competitiveness, a wide range of variables was adopted to evaluate it - including the relationship between the production factors, productivity, and the importance of agriculture in the international trade. Based on the evaluation criteria chosen for the competitiveness assessment and using the TOPSIS method, a synthetic measure of the studied phenomenon was constructed and then divided into four groups of countries similar in terms of the level of competitiveness of agriculture. The difference between the value of the synthetic measure of the country with the highest level of competitiveness of agriculture (Netherlands) and the country least competitive in this regard (Slovenia) was 3.5-fold. In addition to the Netherlands, there were classified also France, Germany, Denmark and Belgium in the first group, so the countries with high levels of the socio-economic development. In the second group, there were seven countries: Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Cyprus, Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg. Therefore, the first two groups are formed by the countries belonging to the so-called "Old 15" (except Cyprus). The last two groups are formed primarily by the countries that joined the European Union in 2004 or later. Keywords: agriculture, countries, synthetic indicator, TOPSIS method Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 507-516 Volume: 62 Issue: 11 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/133/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/133/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201611-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:62:y:2016:i:11:id:133-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Susana MEJIA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, Universidad EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia Author-Name: Andres Ramirez HASSAN Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, Universidad EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia Title: Determining the optimal selling time of cattle: A stochastic dynamic programming approach Abstract: The world meat market demands competitiveness, and optimal livestock replacement decisions can help to achieve this goal. In the article, there is introduced a novel discrete stochastic dynamic programming framework to support a manager's decision-making process of whether to sell or to keep fattening animals in the beef sector. In particular, the presented proposal uses a non-convex value function, combining both economic and biological variables, and involving uncertainty with regard to price fluctuations. The methodology is very general, so the practitioners can apply it in different regions around the world. There is illustrated the model convenience with an empirical application, finding that the methodology generates better results than actions based on the empirical experience. Keywords: decision analysis, farm management, simulation Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 517-527 Volume: 62 Issue: 11 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/215/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/215/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201611-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:62:y:2016:i:11:id:215-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ludek HOMOLAC Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Karel TOMSIK Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic Title: Historical development of land ownership in the Czech Republic since the foundation of the Czechoslovakia until present Abstract: The aim of the paper is to describe the land ownership relations in the area of the current Czech Republic since the foundation of Czechoslovakia. The description of the history of changes of land ownership in the Czech Republic is important for the perception of the current nature of the land use and land market. Land use and ownership was always related to the historical context and political regime. The time periods are divided by the important historical events: after 1918 (foundation of the Czechoslovak Republic), 2nd World War period, after 1948 (takeover of the power by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the centrally planned economy period) and after 1989 (foundation of the market economy). During this era, three land reforms took place. The main role was played by the political apparatus the aim of which was to enhance its economic and political influence, and international interests. It can be concluded that the ownership of land in the Czech lands was always uneven. During the period, the state expropriated land from different society spheres and reallocated it to others. No other property in private ownership underwent so many ownership changes in the legal organization of the state. Keywords: land reforms, land use structure, soil tenancy Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 528-536 Volume: 62 Issue: 11 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/250/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/250/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201611-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:62:y:2016:i:11:id:250-2015-AGRICECON