Changes in the use of production services in agriculture in the context of meeting the targets for sustainable agricultural development

Abstract

The essence of sustainable agriculture is to orchestrate production, social and environmental objectives. The pursuit of sustainable agricultural development requires the use of optimum manufacturing processes, which should be cost-effective and environmentally-friendly. To do so, it is useful, if not necessary, to supplement a farm’s production potential. The use of production services is an alternative to investing in technical farming equipment or to purchasing some productive inputs. It is therefore worth considering how, and to what extent, production services in agriculture may support the pursuit of sustainable manufacturing processes. The aim of this paper is to present the changes in the use of selected production services in agriculture against the background of the concept of sustainable agriculture. Also, this paper attempts to answer the question of the role of services in pursuit of sustainability in the agriculture sector. The following was considered: the relationships between production services and the implementability of the sustainable agriculture model; and the level of (and changes to) the use of these services in EU countries demonstrating different levels of economic development, different natural conditions and different agricultural production patterns. The analysis was based on a deductive method and correlation analysis. The study was based on relevant literature and statistical data. The average use of production services is greater in the agriculture of EU-15 than in EU-10 countries. This suggests a relationship between economic development levels (including agricultural ones) and the use of production services. In EU-15 countries, there is evident correlation between the use of services and fixed capital formation. In the EU-10, that correlation is weaker for agricultural services, but tends to be stronger for veterinary services. The use of production services may support the pursuit of sustainable agricultural development, provided that farm managers take sustainability into consideration in their decisions.