The research was conducted with the aim of studying the possibility of using automatic feeding stations for individual sheep (Ovis aries) feeding. The research was organized in 3 periods, in which 10–13 months old sheep – female only (1st research period), 6–10 months old sheep – female only (2nd research period) and 8–12 months old sheep – female only (3rd research period) were used. Part of the sheep did not visit the feeding station at all. Sequentially, over the research periods the percentage was 13%, 37% and 49%. Upon setting the concentrate daily ration 400 g per sheep, on the average the number of visits to the particular feeding station was 6.1 and 4.7 (sequentially in the 1st and 2nd research period). Upon increasing the concentrate ration amount up to 700 g per day, the average number of feeding station visits was 6.9 (in the 3rd research period). The number of visits to the automatic feeding station was varied (V is greater than 10%). Over the research period live weight of the sheep increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) for the subgroups of animals which made visits to the feeding station regularly during the entire research period. In all research periods, the average daily concentrate intake (373.5 g in the 1st research period, 333.1 g in the 2nd research period and 581.2 g in the 3rd research period) was 93%, 83% and 83% respectively, of the maximum established feeding standard.

The article deals with the implementation of the LEADER programme in Poland. The aim of the paper was to present the influence of the LEADER programme 2007 – 2013 on rural areas development taking into account its objectives. This topic is current in the context of the Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013 evaluation and search for effective tools for supporting rural areas. The results of research conducted in 2016 among residents and local action groups are presented. Firstly, the LEADER programme had little impact on the possibility of finding work outside the agriculture. Secondly, the realized projects have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life of the residents in rural areas, especially when it comes to meeting the needs of tourism and leisure. The programme was of great importance in underpinning social capital in the countryside, especially its behavioural and bonding dimension. It is very significant taking into account the low level of social capital in rural areas in Poland. An overall level of activity of rural residents and other entities increased, so as the propensity to engage in joint initiatives and the level of trust. The observed effects of the LEADER programme may in the future contribute significantly to the endogenous development of rural areas.

The aim of the research is to prepare proposals for assurance of the business clusters formation regarding the regional development potential upon study of the clusterization of Lithuanian regional companies. After extensive analysis of scientific literature, the qualification of the cluster, their structure, main features, goals and benefits to its members, region, and sector where cluster is based, are observed. From analysis of relevant secondary data the main problems that hinder the development of clusters in distinct regions of Lithuania are distinguished. It is revealed that clusterization in Lithuanian regions lags far behind big cities, it is much more passive and clusters there often reach only the level of a micro-cluster. Clusters are most developed in the tourism and food industries, using traditional means instead of high-techs, failing to benefit from EU support for clustering development. In order to improve the clusterization situation in Lithuania and its development in the regions, more attention and investment are to be allocated for promoting cooperation between the companies and the business and science, research sectors, and joining the international cluster. The state support should be prioritized in the rural regions locating less clusters, forming a reliable means and communication network for these clusters’ development.

The paper presents an approach for the analysis of rural areas’ socio-economic development. Rural regions include spheres of human activity: institutional, environmental, social, labour, industrial, economic, technological development spheres. Under the development of the rural regions, changes in the variables of different spheres of human activity in the region, increasing the potential for human development, is understood. Human Development Index measures the potential for human development measurement. The model of socio-economic development of the rural regions presented in the article is characterized by both endogenous and exogenous variables of the model. Model of socioeconomic development of the rural regions is presented in the form of six econometric equations, each of which is an ADL-model. Each ADL-model contains endogenous and exogenous variables. The article presents the structural form of a system of economical equations in each one equation there is more than one endogenous variable. It shows the transition from the structural form to the form of the system of economical equations, where each equation has only one endogenous variable. The system of equations was developed for the rural regions of Russia. Baseline data were obtained from the database of the State Statistics Committee of Russia. The article provides a solution to the system of equations. The solutions to the model can be used for developing strategic development of each separate rural region or a combination of all the rural regions.

Lease of farm lands is the most important process of proprietorial changes in the state’s agriculture sector. As an effect of turbulent socio-economic conditions and legal solutions resulting from country’s agricultural politics, its share in land’s management has significantly shrunk. Currently there is around 1.1 million ha of land in lease, which makes up for 23% of the land acquired by the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury. After 23 years of 3.2 million ha of lands acquired by the Resource (68.5%) has already been managed permanently and 2.5 million ha (53%) have been sold. Lease allows fast temporary management of the farm lands acquired by the State’s Treasury, and a buying- out, mostly by the hitherto leaseholders, afterwards. The range and the structure of area of sales agreement of farm lands indicates that it was acquired by a relatively small group of buyers. Such a structure of permanent management of the State’s Treasury’s farm lands might bring some hesitations and questions on rationality of the proprietorial changes from the social interest view and ethics.

The aim of the research is to determine the influence of brand associations on purchase intentions in the framework of organic products. In order to determine the influence of brand associations on purchase intentions in the organic product category, the organic yogurt was chosen as a product. The brands’ criteria grid was elaborated for the selection of the specific yogurt brands and three different yogurt brands were chosen for the research. Nine associations directly or indirectly associated with ecology were generated and approved by experts of marketing and advertising; namely: ‘organic’, ‘natural’, ‘ecological’, ‘healthy’, ‘nutritious’, ‘Lithuanian’, ‘tasty’, ‘regular’, and ‘expensive’. The empirical research with the selected brands and generated associations was composed of two parts: experiment and questionnaire survey. The research results revealed that brand associations have a huge impact on consumer purchase intentions in a framework of organic products. Proper and positive association development positively and directly influences consumer purchase intentions. Positioning of the brand as providing organic products is extremely important when seeking to develop brand associations with organic products; the naturalness, ecology of the product should be emphasised in marketing communication; a brand name should be meaningful and visual marketing communication should expose the ecology. For the future research, the analysis of the influence of brand associations on the conative consumer response in the frameworks of the remaining products categories is necessary.

The aim of paper is a comparative analysis of on-farm greenhouse gas emissions across family farm types and farm size classes using FADN data in Lithuania. To achieve this, Lithuanian FADN data of 2014 were used for the analysis. The research draws on a sample of 1304 family farms. The methodology is based on an adaptation of the IPCC guidelines using Lithuanian emission factors from Lithuania’s National Inventory Report and the activity data of family farms derived from Lithuanian FADN. The GHG emissions were analysed per farm (t CO2eq farmE-1) and per hectare (CO2eq haE-1 of UAA). The research found out that the major sources of GHG emissions are related to the use of chemical fertilizers on farms comprising 52.6% of the total emissions from family farms. The performed analysis shows that GHG emissions per farm depended on the farm size and ranged from 63.3 t CO2eq farmE-1 to 479.6 t CO2eq farmE-1, on farm size class less than 30 ha UAA and from 500 ha UAA or over, respectively. The GHG emissions on family farms totalled 184.2 t CO2eq farmE-1 and ranged from 5.8 t CO2eq farm E-1 to 234.6 t CO2eq farmE-1, in the permanent crops farms and in the specialist dairying farms, respectively.

Europe is the number two producer of beer worldwide. However, the quantity of beer sold in Latvia in the last decade did not increase considerably, and the average quantity of beer consumed per capita rose very slowly. Even though beer consumption was stable in Latvia, the quantity of beer supplied to the market was approximately three times greater than the quantity of the other kinds of alcoholic beverages combined, totalling about 15 million dekalitres. Besides, in recent years in Latvia the segment of craft beers tended to increase, which became increasingly popular in Western Europe and the number of small breweries sharply increased there. In Latvia, the number of small breweries increased at a slower pace, therefore, the research aim was to examine the factors influencing the development of small breweries in Latvia. The research found that most of the breweries in Latvia qualified for the status of small brewery, the output of which did not exceed 50 000 dekalitres per year. Although small breweries produced craft beers, yet their performance and development were considerably influenced by the activity of the large breweries and the purchasing power of consumers. Small breweries positively influence the beer drinking traditions of Latvians, which can contribute to the stable development of the small breweries. Small breweries have their competitive advantages in the market, which is due to the quality and assortment of their products, as well as they perform extra economic activities that contribute to their recognition.

Agriculture not only supplies food and fibre to the society, but also provides other services, which are not revealed in the market prices. The role of agricultural activities is essential in forming and improving the landscape, in particular, for Lithuanian case study. Therefore, the paper focuses on development of the framework for estimation of consumers’ willingness to pay for agricultural landscape improvements. The objectives of this paper are to present construction of the estimation framework for eliciting willingness to pay (WTP) for non- market agricultural landscape goods through choice experiments (CE) in Lithuania; then, to show the results of framework pre-test, and identify applicability of the framework designed. CE is a survey-based method implying creation of repetitive choice situations about alternatives of agri-environmental schemes for revealing how inhabitants of Lithuania value public goods from agricultural landscape (scenic views, variety of flora and fauna species, recreational infrastructure and services, the objects of cultural heritage), enabling to estimate Lithuanian residents’ WTP and the demand for improvements of agricultural landscape. The results of the pilot survey have shown that the questionnaire was comprehensible and interesting to the respondents, revealing that the valuation of agricultural landscape is in demand by the society. The results of modelling, applying conditional logit, have shown a good model fit, allowing the usage of the estimation framework for the main survey and an estimation of consumers’ willingness to pay for public goods/improvements from agricultural landscape.

In the regions of Latvia there still exists a large unused resource – social capital (SC). Ineffectively implemented development policies, population’s alienation from the state democratic institutions, a low level of non-governmental engagement and SC, lack of resources in the local government sector, increased emigration, civic cynicism, low conditions of the prestige of the political profession have facilitated the development differences among territories. The research goal: comparison of the social capital of Zemgale region, towns and districts. Monographic analysis and method of synthesis, data statistical research methods – grouping, comparison, the processing and interpretation of statistical data – the method for analysing aggregate indicators, was used in the article. The research discovers the SC at the micro-level – the collaboration and attitudes between citizens and the state as well as in-between the individuals themselves, along with the macro-level – interaction of social groups as a part of a network which helps create trust to local government bodies as well as the state. The study indicates that the development of the Zemgale region is impacted not only by such social capital factors as the population density in the districts (0.37), the number of population until the working age (0.55), but also by the factor education level of the deputies (2009-2013) between the districts (0.12), towns (0.41), and the whole region (0.14). This verified the assumption that higher education level implies higher social potential and more active social inclusion. The authors suggest the local-governments to devote increased funding to the NGOs as it is the most active form of social capital, thus ensuring a long-term development of such initiative groups.