FACTORS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPORTANCE IN THE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE IN THE CONSERVATIVE ANIMALS NETWORK OF BREEDERS AND INDUSTRY ORGANISATIONS. THE POLISH CASE

Abstract

Knowledge is a key resource to support European agriculture in meeting today’s challenges such as global competition, food safety, human, animal and plant health as well as environmental protection requirements. The question arises as to which organisations in the current institutional system of agriculture provide knowledge to farmers who keep livestock of conservative breeds at the expected level of quality and exchange (frequency)? The aim of the research was to identify a new role of industry organisations in the transfer of knowledge and indicate variables determining the importance and exchange of farmers’ knowledge with industry organizations. The survey was conducted among 145 farmers in south-eastern Poland in 2017. The research instrument was a questionnaire of interviews with farms and representatives of industry organisations. Multiple regression analysis was used to demonstrate the influence of factors on the level of knowledge exchange (importance and frequency). The results of the research indicate that industry organisations can address their knowledge mainly to farms with poor financial stability (e.g. without a sales contract) and that the planned succession on the farm motivates the farmer to seek knowledge. Among the group of factors indifferent to the validity and implementation of knowledge exchange are: 1st the occurrence of a successor on the farm, 2nd the contracting of sales, 3rd the size of the farm and the 4th the age of the owner. It is recommended to create specialized industry compounds in Poland for conservative animal breeds (not only within species).