Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lukáš Čechura Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Štefan Bojnec Author-Workplace-Name: University Primorska, Koper, Slovenia Author-Name: Jan Falkowski Author-Workplace-Name: University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Author-Name: Imre Fertő Author-Workplace-Name: ELTE Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Budapest, Hungary Title: Has the agricultural productivity increased after European Union enlargements in Central European countries? Evidence from four countries' cereal production Abstract: It was widely expected that following European Union's enlargement in 2004, farmers in new member states would improve their performance by increasing the efficiency of their production processes. In this study, using the Farm Accountancy Data Network data, we look at changes in total factor productivity, a measure which captures how efficiently and intensely inputs are utilised in production, that took place in farms producing cereals in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia between 2004 and 2017. We find that in all four countries total factor productivity increased in the first years after the accession, but later declined. Overall, in the three former countries, total factor productivity in 2017 was higher than observed in 2004, whereas in Slovenia it was lower. This pattern largely corresponds to the dynamics observed with technological change: an initial technological progress was followed by a technological regress. Our results also suggest that over time farmers faced increasing problems with finding an optimal size of their operation. Finally, we observe that the technologies adopted on the farms were not used in an efficient way. Keywords: Central Europe, cereal farms, scale efficiency, technological change, technical efficiency, total factor productivity Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 483-492 Volume: 72 Issue: 8 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/156/2023-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/156/2023-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202608-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:72:y:2026:i:8:id:156-2023-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: He Yang Author-Workplace-Name: Center for Urban and Regional Economic Research in China, Economic Behavior and Policy Simulation Laboratory, College of Economics and Social Development, Nankai University, Tianjin, P.R. China Author-Name: HaoZhaoXing Liao Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, P.R. China Author-Name: Shi Wu Li Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, P.R. China Author-Name: Wei Huang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, P.R. China Author-Name: Hao Yang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, P.R. China Author-Name: Haixia Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, P.R. China Author-Name: Chen GuangYan Author-Workplace-Name: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, P.R. China Title: Temperature shocks could accelerate China's expansion of agricultural operations amid ageing trends Abstract: The integration of smallholder land and expanded agricultural operational scale are global agricultural development trends. Using 2012-2020 longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) combined with satellite-derived meteorological records, this study examines how temperature shocks influence land rental behaviour, supplemented by rigorous robustness checks. Results indicate that temperature shocks reduce per-hectare net income, deteriorate working conditions, and increase smallholders' likelihood of transferring out land - particularly elderly farmers supported by their children. Notably, factor inputs (e.g. fertilisers and irrigation water) in large-scale operations are less susceptible to temperature fluctuations, mitigating related environmental risks. The study concludes that moderate agricultural scale expansion constitutes a more efficient and climate-resilient production model. For smallholder-dominated countries/regions, measures such as optimising land rental mechanisms and enhancing climate adaptation support can mitigate temperature shock impacts and drive agricultural sustainable transformation. Keywords: climate-resilient agricultural production, extreme temperature deviations, farmland transfer decisions, rural elderly farmers, smallholder farming Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 513-526 Volume: 72 Issue: 8 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/72/2025-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/72/2025-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202608-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:72:y:2026:i:8:id:72-2025-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Zhe Zhao Author-Workplace-Name: School of Economics, Liaoning University, Shenyang, P.R. China Author-Name: You Xu Author-Workplace-Name: School of Economics, Liaoning University, Shenyang, P.R. China Author-Name: Yi Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: School of Economics, Jilin University, Changchun, P.R. China Title: Cognition, adoption intensity, and environmental efficiency of the planting and breeding circular model: Evidence from Northeast China Abstract: Based on 1 051 survey observations from 83 villages in Northeast China and the conceptual framework of 'model cognition - whether to adopt - adoption intensity - adoption benefits', this study empirically analyses how farmers' cognition of the circular model of planting and breeding (CMPB) affects adoption decisions and adoption intensity, as well as the impact of adopting the CMPB on environmental efficiency. The results indicate that perceived economic benefits and perceived ease of use significantly increase farmers' adoption intensity. Moreover, adopting the CMPB has a significant positive effect on environmental efficiency; higher adoption intensity is associated with greater improvements in environmental efficiency. Additionally, internal circulation achieves higher environmental efficiency than external circulation. Therefore, the smallholder-based CMPB deserves greater attention. On this basis, the study suggests that farmers' adoption of the CMPB is driven by its perceived ease of use and economic benefits. At the same time, promoting and applying the CMPB in rural areas aligns with the macro-level policy objective of green agricultural development. Keywords: combination of planting and breeding, economic benefits, environmental benefits, perceived ease of use Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 493-512 Volume: 72 Issue: 8 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/270/2025-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/270/2025-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202608-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:72:y:2026:i:8:id:270-2025-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Dejan Živkov Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Economics, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Boris Kuzman Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Economics, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Jonel Subić Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Economics, Belgrade, Serbia Title: Optimising the Stutzer ratio in multivariate agricultural portfolios Abstract: This paper evaluates the risk-adjusted performance of multivariate agricultural portfolios using the Stutzer ratio, an advanced measure that accounts for non-normal return distributions and downside risk. Three four-asset portfolios - grains, softs, and meats - are analysed in this study. The Stutzer ratio incorporates a risk-aversion parameter (θ) that penalises tail risk, providing a more accurate assessment of skewed and fat-tailed returns. Results show that Stutzer-optimised portfolios outperform naïve equal-weight portfolios in risk-adjusted terms, as optimisation effectively balances expected returns and downside exposure. Among the three portfolio categories, the softs portfolio exhibits the highest Stutzer ratio, with the meats portfolio following closely behind. Both portfolios have a relatively high tail-adjustment parameter (theta), indicating a reduced exposure to downside risk and a lower likelihood of extreme negative returns. Consequently, their risk-adjusted performance suggests greater return stability, making them particularly attractive to long-term investors. Keywords: downside risk, exponential decay factor, risk-adjusted metric Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 475-482 Volume: 72 Issue: 8 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/377/2025-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/377/2025-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-202608-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:72:y:2026:i:8:id:377-2025-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lukáš Čechura Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: A tribute to Professor Vladimír Jeníček Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 473-474 Volume: 72 Issue: 8 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/425/2026-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/425/2026-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/425/2026-AGRICECON.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:72:y:2026:i:8:id:425-2026-AGRICECON