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Between the Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability in Rural Areas—In Search of Farmers’ Quality of Life

Author

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  • Agnieszka Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska

    (Department of Development Policy and Marketing, Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Anna Kłoczko-Gajewska

    (Department of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Piotr Sulewski

    (Department of Economics and Organization of Enterprises, Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract

Life quality is an important indicator of sustainable development. Farmers’ quality of life strongly affects the farm’s viability. The main goal of this study was to identify the relationships between three main components of farmers’ quality of life: economic situation, living conditions, and mental comfort. In the first phase of the study, the theoretical model representing potential relationships between quality of life components was constructed, and in the second phase the relationships were verified with the use of the structural equation modelling method. The sample consisted of 600 farmers participating in the Polish Farm Accountancy Data Framework (FADN). In the analyses, data from the FADN database and data obtained during supplementary interviews with farmers were used. The analyses revealed that living conditions are significantly and positively correlated with the economic situation and mental comfort, while mental comfort turned out to be negatively correlated with the economic situation. It was concluded that future agricultural and rural development policies should be more focused on the social dimension of sustainable development than before, particularly considering the fact that a farmer’s higher engagement in the improvement of their family’s economic condition might result in lowering their mental comfort due to the stress and work overload.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnieszka Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska & Anna Kłoczko-Gajewska & Piotr Sulewski, 2019. "Between the Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability in Rural Areas—In Search of Farmers’ Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2019:i:1:p:148-:d:301239
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