Karel Malec

Agricultural soil is a strategic resource whose productive capacity is increasingly affected by degradation, land-use pressure, and climate-related processes. This study assesses changes in the quality and quantity of agricultural land in the Czech Republic between 2008 and 2023 using the national system of Bonited Soil-Ecological Units (BPEJ) and associated administrative land prices as an indicator of production potential. The analysis combines national data for more than 13,000 cadastral areas with regression analysis of 1,618 reclassified areas and a detailed assessment of 410 cases in which administrative prices changed by more than 10%. The results show that higher-quality agricultural soils are statistically more prone to declines in both quality and area, whereas lower-quality soils tend to be more stable. However, much of the recorded change in soil quality reflects improved field surveys and reclassification rather than physical degradation: approximately 80% of major price changes are attributable to updated soil assessment. Where genuine deterioration occurs, erosion and related economic activities are important drivers, accounting for about 30% of observed soil-quality decline. Soil quality decreased in 8 of 14 Czech NUTS3 regions during the study period, including several highly productive regions. The findings demonstrate the value of long-term soil classification systems for monitoring land degradation and targeting soil-protection measures in intensive agricultural landscapes.

The term “agricultural infrastructure” was later defined to cover long-lasting engineered facilities as well as additional services like roads, electricity supplies, and telecommunications, in resp...

This paper explores the dynamics of the global fertilizer market, focusing on general and nitrogenous fertilizers. The aim of the paper is to determine the trends and shifts in this market, specifically examining the role of major players like Russia and Brazil and the growing influence of Middle Eastern countries in nitrogenous fertilizer exports. The study employs index analysis of export and import data over the last 20 years, highlighting the evolution and current state of the market. The results indicate growing trade volumes and evolving trade patterns, reflecting the market's response to global economic and political factors. The discussion includes an emphasis on the increasing global demand for nitrogen fertilizers, which is expected to reach 108 million metric tons by 2024, driven by lower prices and the need for higher agricultural yields. It also highlights the significant role of Middle Eastern countries, especially Oman, in the nitrogenous fertilizer market, leveraging their abundant natural gas resources and strategic locations for expanding exports.

Major international institutions like the World Bank, African Union, and International Monetary Fund have made the development of robust governance systems a “sacred utterance” since the 1990s. Our study aimed to refute this common thinking by examining how governance structures have affected the expansion of the financial market in 47 African countries from 2008 to 2019. Using the availability of venture capital as a proxy for financial market development, our article departed from existing literature which used stock exchange characteristics as benchmarks for growth in the financial market. The governance variables comprise the six global governance indices: control of corruption, government effectiveness, political stability, regulatory quality, the rule of law, and voice and accountability. The model’s control variables include GDP per capita, inflation, and trade openness. Our finding suggests that a great quality governance climate is significant in explaining the growth of the financial market in Africa using the generalized method of moments (GMM) methodological approach with corrected standard errors. Considering these findings, our research makes the case that solid institutional frameworks might encourage the degree of financial systems growth in Africa. Therefore, the financial development rate in the African region will be significantly influenced by improving the quality of governance through strengthening legal and institutional frameworks to facilitate financial inclusion.

The paper aims at vertical price transmission of the agri-food market in the Czech Republic. It is focused on the analysis of price transmission in pork meat by investigating the short-run and long-run relationships within the product and the speed of establishing the equilibrium relationship. For this purpose, there is employed specially VECM (Vector Error Correction Model), impulse-response analysis, and decomposition of variance of VECM, which show the system’s reaction. The applied approach considers five alternatives in the Johansen approach. The results suggest that there is an existence of the equilibrium relationship in vertical markets and this relationship is simultaneous and demand-driven. The impulse-response analyses show the response of the processing price to one standard deviation shock to the agriculture price from approximately 15–20 periods reaching long-run equilibrium. The response of the agriculture price to one standard deviation shock to the processing price reaching long-run equilibrium is also from approximately 15–20 periods.

Introduction: Since 2005, Russia has established a stable position in Egypt's wheat imports, and after 2016, it became the largest global wheat exporter. The shift in Russian grain production has visibly affected wheat export destinations in favor of developing countries. This paper identifies the main determinants of wheat trade in Egypt concerning the primary risks associated with the war in Ukraine.Methods: The paper utilizes time series analysis, index analysis, and an econometric model to define the statistical relationship between the quantity of wheat imported into Egypt and population development, wheat price, and wheat production.Results: Despite increasing wheat production growth rates (1.9% p.a. over 2000–2020) and a growing population (2.01% p.a.), Egypt is unable to reduce its import dependence below 50% of total consumption. Undernourishment in Egypt remains at 5.2%–5.4% of the population. The econometric model shows that variables describing the evolution of production, population, and prices are statistically significant in relation to wheat imports. Egypt's wheat imports continue to increase even with rising prices, which is typical for developing countries. The war in Ukraine and associated commodity price increases have far-reaching implications for Africa's food security and supply systems.Discussion: Egypt's vulnerability to external influences, such as climate change, migration, rising commodity prices, and population growth, exacerbates the situation. Most African countries, including Egypt, struggle with the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also face rising food and energy prices, conflicts between the world's largest food producers, and increasing poverty rates. The research findings confirm that Egypt is among the highly vulnerable countries due to the war in Ukraine and the disruption of agricultural supply chains.