Income or Assets—What Determines the Approach to the Environment among Farmers in A Region in Poland?

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

- in the title proposes to write "region in Poland" without "Wielkopolska", and explain in the text that it is about this region,

- introduction should be expanded,

- english (in several places) needs to be corrected, proofreading required,

- in the first part of the manuscript, it is worth highlighting the layout of the article more clearly, what will be in individual parts,

- the manuscript was sent to Sustainability, there is little reference to this topic (sustainable development) - only a few sentences. And this is very important. What impact does this have?

- what's new in the manuscript? Why is the topic new? Is it worth continuing this topic in the future? What are the directions of further research? Perspective.

- literature should be expanded to include other scientific positions, no "critical" review of the literature on the subject,

- footnotes are missing, page 9 and others,

- the conclusions should be expanded, there is only one paragraph,

Author Response

Poznań 9.06.2020

Response to reviewer

Dear Reviewer and Editor.

We would like to thank You kindly for the review and all valuable comments that we have implemented  to use in the article. We believe that the comments and suggestions helped us to improve the manuscript and that our article meets the requirements of the journal Sustainability.  We have applied the following changes, according to the suggestions:

• in the title proposes to write "region in Poland" without "Wielkopolska", and explain in the text that it is about this region,

Thank You for the proposal. We have made the suggested change. In this way the title should be more readable for foreign readers. Current title of the article: Income or assets - what determines the approach to the environment among farmers in region in Poland? (the lines 2-4)

Additionally, we have introduced explanatory footnote no. 1 concerning Wielkopolska as the region in Poland.

“…Wielkopolska is one of sixteen voivodeships (regions) in Poland). It is located in the western part of Poland. The region is relatively economically well developed by Polish standards, especially in terms of agriculture and the agri-food industry. The utilised agricultural area is 11.3 % of all in Poland, which gives it the second place of all regions in Poland in this respect…” (p.2)

• introduction should be expanded,

Introduction has been expanded. A theme on reference to the theory of economics, sustainable development, international context, regulations were introduced.

“…This perspective is in line with the classical approach, in which the importance of production factors (in the case of our article it is the assets) for the functioning of business entities is exposed. In the study, we have extended this approach to the element of the behavioural factor. It is about the approach to the environment among farmers. In this way, the discussed dependencies have a broader research perspective, which is consistent with the current of research within the complexity economics [2] or sustainable development…” (the lines 39-44)

“…This is due to social expectations, changes in the instruments of the EU common agricultural policy (CAP),  and the increased value of the non-productive functions of agriculture [23,3], as well as the growing interest in sustainable development. The latter has been the main driver for the operation of programmes under various the EU funds for over two decades. Therefore, the regulations at both European and the national level are adjusted to this effect in terms of support, but also penalising entities if certain environmental standards are not fulfilled. At this point, it is worth emphasizing that the international situation as regards the relations between the economic and the environmental dimension of the functioning of agricultural holdings is particularly diverse between the EU countries – non-EU countries with a medium level of development - countries with a low level of economic development. This results from the relatively high environmental standards applicable in the EU countries. In the article, we also refer to examples from the results of studies from various other parts of the world…”  (the lines 46-57)

Moreover, we have added three sentences concerning the layout of the article.

“…The article consists of six parts: introduction, literature review, then materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. In the introduction we present the motivation to conduct the research, and hypotheses;, in the literature review the current state of the art on the raised issues;, then we explain the methodology used. Afterwards, we analyse the obtained research results, which we compare with other outcomes, and at the end of the article we present our conclusions, reflections and the implications for policy adjustments...”  (the lines 91-97)

• english (in several places) needs to be corrected, proofreading required

The article has been corrected and proofreading has been carried out.

• in the first part of the manuscript, it is worth highlighting the layout of the article more clearly, what will be in individual parts,

We agree with this remark. In the introduction we have introduced three sentences concerning the layout of the article. This should make the article more readable.

“…The article consists of six parts: introduction, literature review, then materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. In the introduction we present the motivation to conduct the research, and hypotheses;, in the literature review the current state of the art on the raised issues, then we explain the methodology used. Afterwards, we analyse the obtained research results, which we compare with other outcomes, and at the end of the article we present our conclusions, reflections and the implications for policy adjustments...” (the lines 91-97)

• the manuscript was sent to Sustainability, there is little reference to this topic (sustainable development) - only a few sentences. And this is very important. What impact does this have?

We have introduced an additional reference to sustanaibility development in the introduction in two places. Additionally, two references to sustanaibility development was also made in the end. 

“…In this way, the discussed dependencies have a broader research perspective, which is consistent with the current of research within the complexity economics [2] or sustainable development...” (the lines 42-44)

“…This is due to social expectations, changes in the instruments of the EU common agricultural policy (CAP), and the increased value of the non-productive functions of agriculture [23,3], as well as the growing interest in sustainable development..”. (the lines 46-48)

“…This is an important conclusion which fits into the paradigm of sustainable development and indicates that economic and environmental development can be stimulated simultaneously. Better treatment of the environment by farmers by improving their approach to these issues will help to improve the environment, which can contribute to the transition towards sustainability...” (the lines 624-628)

• What's new in the manuscript? Why is the topic new? Is it worth continuing this topic in the future? What are the directions of further research? Perspective.

In the conclusions section we have focused more clearly on the new topic as well as the directions and perspective of further research on the raised issues. In the first case, it is about recognising that income is more important than the assets in shaping the environmental approach. In the second case it is about the possibilities of further comparative research between countries (regions) using aggregated data or from the FADN database. Also, a behavioral approach that takes into account the perception of farm operation objectives by managers seems to be prospective in further research.

“…It is a new topic, which should be developed in the future. At the level of agricultural policy, the question arises: whether the environmental development of farms is stimulated by means of income support ? In light of our research, the answer is positive. It is also a problem of treating farm size as a heterogeneous factor, affected not only by the value of assets but also incomes...”  (the lines 603-607)

“…In addition, the prospects for further research related to the impact of income and assets on the environment should be sought in the area of comparative research between countries (regions) using aggregated data or the FADN database. A behavioural approach that takes into account the perception of farmers objectives linked to farm’s operating also seems interesting. However, this is limited by the relatively high costs of such surveys. In the case of the research methods, however, the use of the structural equation modelling still seems promising despite some of the limitations that we have mentioned earlier…” (the lines 632-639)

• literature should be expanded to include other scientific positions, no "critical" review of the literature on the subject,

Thank You for the comment. Although in the first version of the manuscript there were some papers used, where cited authors highlighted contradictions (i.e. between economic and environmental pillars of the sustainability) or potential conflicts, we have added some new positions on the problem You mentioned.

“…As aforementioned, the goals in the three pillars of the concept of sustainable development can potentially be divergent. The growing and competing claims on biological resources may cause adverse environmental and social effects [29]. Sometimes the ecological sustainability is overlooked in official strategies Bennich et al. [29], suggesting that in practice there is no equality between all three fields in the concept of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental purposes). The other issue is achieving the purposes in these three dimensions in the short- and long-term. Falcone et al. [30] suggest the existing of the tensions between these two perspectives, whichat should be considered both on the level ofin the whole economy and agriculture (i.e. more profitable monoculture crops in the short-run versus lower income because of a higher diversity of crops but maintaining the viability of land in the long-term)…” (the lines 216-225)

“…Bennich et al. [29] describe a bio-based economy as an opportunity to achieve climate change mitigation, a competitive advantage linked to the knowledge generation, novel biomass applications, and better and more effective management of resources, especially fossil-based ones. A Bbio-based economy can support to athe greater extent (than other economic systems) the transition towards sustainability [30]. It suggests that the bio-based economy might be a tool to achieve sustainability in the long-term. Sarkar et al. [31] indicate advantages of the sustainable bioeconomy, which allows to achieve environmental and economic goals at the same time, i.e. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to decrease the dependency on non-renewable resources…” (the lines 228-236)

“…The importance of state support for the agricultural sector (not only through subsidies), but also through the implementation of various joint initiatives (e.g. public-private partnerships) may be very important and can be an effective tool to implement the projects concerning modern agricultural development (in developing countries), as indicated by Morea and Balzarini [60] and Morea and Balzarini [61]…”  (the lines 581-585)

Bennich, T.; Belyazid, S.; Kopainsky, B.; Diemer, A. Understanding the Transition to a Bio-Based Economy: Exploring Dynamics Linked to the Agricultural Sector in Sweden. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1504. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su10051504

Falcone, P. M.; Garcia, S. G.; Imbert, E.; Lijo, L.; Moreira, M. T.; Tani, A.; Tartiu, V. E.; Morone, P. Transitioning towards the bio‐economy: Assessing the social dimension through a stakeholder lens. Corp Soc Resp Env Ma. 2019, 26, 1135-1153. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1002/csr.1791

Sarkar, S. F.; Poon, J. S.; Lepage, E.; Bilecki, L.; Girard, B. Enabling a sustainable and prosperous future through science and innovation in the bioeconomy at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. New Biotechnology 40A, 70-75. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1016/j.nbt.2017.04.001

Morea, D.; Balzarini, M. Financial sustainability of a public-private partnership for an agricultural development project in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agr. Econ-Czech Agricultural Economics – Czech 2018, 64, 389-398. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/161/2017-AGRICECON.

Morea, D.; Balzarini, M. Bankability of a public private partnership in agricultural sector: A project in Sub Saharan Africa. Agr. Econ-Czech Agricultural Economics – Czech 2019, 65, 212-222. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/258/2018-AGRICECON.

• footnotes are missing, page 9 and others,

To be honest, we don’t know what the Reviewer meant by that. In the uploaded version of the file, footnotes are in place. Maybe they were missing in the version provided by the system to the reviewer. We would like to ask the Editor to check this. It may have been a matter of explaining the variables in the Tables 4-5. Therefore, we have introduced an explanation under these tables: For explanation of the variables, see table S.1 (the lines 468 and 501)

• the conclusions should be expanded, there is only one paragraph,

The conclusions have been extended. This consisted in highlighting a new topic in the research, introducing references to sustainability development, indicating future research directions, thread about education and broadening the recommendations. In addition, we have divided the section conclusion into three paragraph, which should improve the communicativeness.

“…It is a new topic, which should be developed in the future. At the level of agricultural policy, the question arises: whether the environmental development of farms is stimulated by means of income support ? In light of our research, the answer is positive. It is also a problem of treating farm size as a heterogeneous factor, affected not only by the value of assets but also incomes…” (the lines 603-607)

“…According to our research, the environment approach to the environment is influenced also by agricultural education. This means that agricultural knowledge is crucial in shaping pro-environmental attitudes of agricultural producers…” (the lines 619-621)

“…This is an important conclusion which fits into the paradigm of sustainable development and indicates that economic and environmental development can be stimulated simultaneously. Better treatment of the environment by farmers by improving their approach to these issues will help to improve the environment, which can contribute to the transition towards sustainability…” (the lines 624-628)

“…In addition, the prospects for further research related to the impact of income and assets on the environment should be sought in the area of comparative research between the countries (regions) using aggregated data or the FADN database. A behavioural approach that takes into account the perception of farmers objectives linked to farm’s operating also seems interesting. However, this is limited by the relatively high costs of such surveys. In the case of the research methods, however, the use of the structural equation modelling still seems promising despite some of the limitations that we have mentioned earlier…” (the lines 632-639)

“…There is also the problem of the capitalisation of support (susbsidies), which increases the value of assets without having an adequate impact on the environmental issues. In this case, regulatory solutions at the national level concerning the functioning of the agricultural land market seem important. Simultaneously, agricultural education should also be supported to an even greater extent at the level of the Member States. This also concerns the implementation of courses by the relevant advisory services, as well as social advertisements to raise awareness of the environmental limitations of the functioning of economic entities and the related climate change…” (the lines 649-655)

We have also made minor adjustments to adapt the text to the publishing requirements (mainly the bibliography) and have arranged the numbering of the tables.

Once again, we would like to thank for the all valuable comments.               

Sincerely,

Aleksander Grzelak PhD

(corresponding author)

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

In the manuscript, the authors recognized the impact of assets and income on the environmental approach of agricultural producers through the example of the Wielkopolska region, in Poland.

The topic of the paper is interesting as well as the academic contribution of the work, but the authors should improve their work according to the following indications.

1. In the introduction:

1.1. the authors should discuss international situation, regulations, and approaches, and should motivate the research to be of high interest for the addressees;

1.2. the authors should explain how the article has been structured by presenting the different sections.

2. The following important studies should be considered:

https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/161/2017-AGRICECON

https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/258/2018-AGRICECON

3. Policy implications should be addressed.

4. Extensive editing of English language and style required.

Author Response

Poznań 9.06.2020

Response to reviewer

Dear Reviewer and Editor.

We would like to thank You kindly for the reviews and all valuable comments that we have implemented  to use in the article. We believe that the comments and suggestions helped us to improve the manuscript and that our article meets the requirements of the journal Sustainability.  We have applied the following changes, according to the suggestions:

• The topic of the paper is interesting as well as the academic contribution of the work, but the authors should improve their work according to the following indications.

1. In the introduction:

1.1. the authors should discuss international situation, regulations, and approaches, and should motivate the research to be of high interest for the addressees;

Thank You for the suggestion. We have improved interest for the addressees in the introduction by reference to the theory of economics, sustainable development, international context, regulations. Moreover, we have added three sentences concerning the layout of the article.

“…This is due to social expectations, changes in the instruments of the EU common agricultural policy (CAP),  and the increased value of the non-productive functions of agriculture [23,3], as well as the growing interest in sustainable development. The latter has been the main driver for the operation of programmes under various the EU funds for over two decades. Therefore, the regulations at both European and the national level are adjusted to this effect in terms of support, but also penalising entities if certain environmental standards are not fulfilled. At this point, it is worth emphasizing that the international situation as regards the relations between the economic and the environmental dimension of the functioning of agricultural holdings is particularly diverse between the EU countries – non-EU countries with a medium level of development - countries with a low level of economic development. This results from the relatively high environmental standards applicable in the EU countries. In the article, we also refer to examples from the results of studies from various other parts of the world…”  (the lines 46-57)

“…The article consists of six parts: introduction, literature review, then materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. In the introduction we present the motivation to conduct the research, and hypotheses;, in the literature review the current state of the art on the raised issues;, then we explain the methodology used. Afterwards, we analyse the obtained research results, which we compare with other outcomes, and at the end of the article we present our conclusions, reflections and the implications for policy adjustments…” (the lines 91-97)

• 2. the authors should explain how the article has been structured by presenting the different sections.

We have introduced the layout of the article in introduction section. This should make the article more readable.

“…The article consists of six parts: introduction, literature review, then materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. In the introduction we present the motivation to conduct the research, and hypotheses, in the literature review the current state of the art on the raised issues;, then we explain the methodology used. Afterwards, we analyse the obtained research results, which we compare with other outcomes, and at the end of the article we present our conclusions, reflections and the implications for policy adjustments...” (the lines 91-97)

• The following important studies should be considered:

https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/161/2017-AGRICECON

https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/258/2018-AGRICECON

Studies mentioned by the Reviewer were considered and we included the main thought of these articles.

“…The importance of state support for the agricultural sector (not only through subsidies), but also through the implementation of various joint initiatives (e.g. public-private partnerships) may be very important and can be an effective tool to implement the projects concerning modern agricultural development (in developing countries), as indicated by Morea and Balzarini [60] and Morea and Balzarini [61]…” (the lines 581-585)

Morea, D.; Balzarini, M. Financial sustainability of a public-private partnership for an agricultural development project in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural Economics – Czech 2018, 64, 389-398. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/161/2017-AGRICECON

Morea, D.; Balzarini, M. Bankability of a public private partnership in agricultural sector: A project in Sub Saharan Africa. Agricultural Economics – Czech 2019, 65, 212-222. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.17221/258/2018-AGRICECON

• Policy impliations should be addressed.

In conclusion, we have expanded policy implications to include agricultural education.

“…Simultaneously, agricultural education should also be supported to an even greater extent at the level of the Member States. This also concerns the implementation of courses by the relevant advisory services, as well as social advertisements to raise awareness of the environmental limitations of the functioning of economic entities and the related climate change…”  (the lines 652-655)

• Extensive editing of English language and style required.

We have improved our English language. This mainly concerned about the improvement of grammar, styling, and the improvement of text intelligibility.

We have also made minor adjustments to adapt the text to the publishing requirements (mainly the bibliography) and arranged the numbering of the tables.

Once again, we would like to thank for the all valuable comments.               

Sincerely,

Aleksander Grzelak PhD

(corresponding author)

Reviewer 3 Report

The present study aims at exploring the impact of assets and income on the environmental approach of agricultural producers through the example of the Wielkopolska region (Poland). This work is worth to be read and shows a good potential if some challenges are addressed:

Abstract has inappropriate structure. I suggest to answer the following aspects: - general context - novelty of the work - methodology used - main results

Introduction presents interesting information. It is really well structured and comprehensive.

Literature: In the second section I would see also focus on the bioeconomy concept. Agriculture is one of main sector characterizing bioeconomy.  Some literature to look at:

https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/2071-1050/10/5/1504

https://0-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1002/csr.1791

https://0-www-sciencedirect-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S1871678417300122

The research methodology  seems underdeveloped. Methods should be described in detail. Indeed, I think the research procedure could be much more clearly described by means of a diagram also highlighting its potential and limit. 

Results must be linked to the methodology. Please define the relationship and relate your finding with the relevant literature.

Conclusions are extremely succinct. I suggest to authors to propose also practical implications and future line of research.

Author Response

Poznań 9.06.2020

Response to reviewer

Dear Reviewer and Editor.

We would like to thank You kindly for the reviews and all valuable comments that we have implemented  to use in the article. We believe that the comments and suggestions helped us to improve the manuscript and that our article meets the requirements of the journal Sustainability.  We have applied the following changes, according to the suggestions:

• Abstract has inappropriate structure. I suggest to answer the following aspects: - general context - novelty of the work - methodology used - main results

Thank You for the remark. We have changed the abstract taking into account the reviewer's suggestion: general context - novelty of the work - methodology used - main results. Due to the adaptations to the publishing requirements we had to shorten the abstract (200 words) at the same time

“…The theory about the impact of the farm size, income and assets on the environmental approach of farmers is ambiguous. We contribute to the existing discussion in two ways. Firstly, we look for the determinants of the environmental approach. Secondly, we treat farm size as a heterogeneous factor, affected not only by the value of assets but also flows of incomes. The main objective of the article is, therefore, to recognize the impact of assets and income on the environmental approach of agricultural producers We analyse the results of surveys carried out in 2020 on a group of 120 farms from the Wielkopolska region (Poland), using the structural equation modelling (GSEM MIMIC model). Our results indicate that both the income and the assets of the agricultural producers have a positive impact on their approach to the environment. However, to the greater extent, the farmer's approach to the environment is influenced by income than by assets. This may be influenced by the capitalisation of subsidies in the price of agricultural land, which makes this element of farm assets detached from real processes. It is easier for farms with a higher income and assets to realize the orientation towards sustainability….” (the lines 10-32)

• Literature: In the second section I would see also focus on the bioeconomy concept. Agriculture is one of main sector characterizing bioeconomy. Some literature to look at:

https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/2071-1050/10/5/1504

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/csr.1791

https://0-www-sciencedirect-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S1871678417300122

Thank You very much for your valuable comment to add the linkage between the idea of sustainability with the concept of bio-based economy. We have included to the article new paragraph and have employed these new positions.

“…Bennich et al. [29] describe a bio-based economy as an opportunity to achieve climate change mitigation, a competitive advantage linked to the knowledge generation, novel biomass applications, and better and more effective management of resources, especially fossil-based ones. A Bbio-based economy can support to athe greater extent (than other economic systems) the transition towards sustainability [30]. It suggests that the bio-based economy might be a tool to achieve sustainability in the long-term. Sarkar et al. [31] indicate advantages of the sustainable bioeconomy, which allows achieving environmental and economic goals at the same time, i.e. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to decrease the dependency on non-renewable resources….” (the lines 228-236).

Bennich, T.; Belyazid, S.; Kopainsky, B.; Diemer, A. Understanding the Transition to a Bio-Based Economy: Exploring Dynamics Linked to the Agricultural Sector in Sweden. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1504. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su10051504

Falcone, P. M.; Garcia, S. G.; Imbert, E.; Lijo, L.; Moreira, M. T.; Tani, A.; Tartiu, V. E.; Morone, P. Transitioning towards the bio‐economy: Assessing the social dimension through a stakeholder lens. Corp Soc Resp Env Ma. 2019, 26, 1135-1153. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1002/csr.1791

Sarkar, S. F.; Poon, J. S.; Lepage, E.; Bilecki, L.; Girard, B. Enabling a sustainable and prosperous future through science and innovation in the bioeconomy at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. New Biotechnology 40A, 70-75. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1016/j.nbt.2017.04.001.

• The research methodology seems underdeveloped. Methods should be described in detail. Indeed, I think the research procedure could be much more clearly described by means of a diagram also highlighting its potential and limit.

Following abovementioned suggestions we added Table 2. summarising our research strategy and paragraph in which we sum up all the strengths and limitations of our method.

We have used two new position for this improvement.

Zhang, L., & Zhang, J. (2018). Perception of small tourism enterprises in Lao PDR regarding social sustainability under the influence of social network. Tourism Management, 69, 109–120. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2018.05.012

Bonanomi, A., & Luppi, F. (2020). A European Mixed Methods Comparative Study on NEETs and Their Perceived Environmental Responsibility. Sustainability, 12(2), 515. doi:10.3390/su12020515

“…Summary of our research strategy is presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Summary of the research strategy

Source: Own elaboration

Summing up the proposed research strategy, it is important to underline that, to the best of our knowledge, GSEM is the only method allowing to model latent variables based on non-continuous, not-normally-distributed variables. However, the inclusion of binary and ordinal variables precludes the overall goodness-of-fit tests for the models, which base on the normal distribution assumption, which is one of the limitations of this research, though, basing on the earlier studies implementing this method [50; 51], we backed our reasoning on variables standard error statistics. Another limitation we faced in this research was the inability to include latent variables for control factors (specialisation, farm size, etc.) due to the limited sample size. However, we overcame this issue with a multiple step approach in which we identified the most representative variables for each feature (see Table S3.). Finally, we faced a limitation common to all SEM, GSEM and non-experimental methods, regarding the possibility of identifying causal relationships [40]. On the other hand, the advantage of this research is the careful examination of alternative models which minimises a confirmation bias risk, which is usually not well covered in SEM studies [40]….”  (the lines 395-412)

• Results must be linked to the methodology. Please define the relationship and relate your finding with the relevant literature.

We referred to other papers using similar methods in the paragraph:

“…To achieve the goals stated for this research we decided to follow the procedures of structural equation modelling (SEM). This method has already been used in research on issues of agricultural economics. Among others, we can find SEM applied in the works: Hadrich and Olson [32] (farm size and farm performance); Jürkenbeck, Heumann and Spiller [33] (consumer acceptance of different vertical farming systems); Li, Mi and Zhang [34] (farmers participation in rural tourism); Mariyono [35] (welfare of farmers’ households in Indonesia); Mariyono [36] (improvement of rural livelihoods through the agribusiness sector in Indonesia); Rezaei, Seidi and Karbasioun [37] (pesticide exposure reduction); Luu et al. [38] (farmers’ intention to climate change adaptation in agriculture); Xu and Sun [39] (relative deprivation in the sustainable development of rural tourism)…” (the lines 238-247)

As well as in the paragraph:

“…However, the inclusion of binary and ordinal variables precludes the overall goodness-of-fit tests for the models, which base on the normal distribution assumption, which is one of the limitations of this research, though, basing on the earlier studies implementing this method [50; 51], we backed our reasoning on variables standard error statistics…” (the lines 401-405).

• Conclusions are extremely succinct. I suggest to authors to propose also practical implications and future line of research.

In the conclusions section we have focused more clearly on the new topic as well as the directions and perspective of further research on the raised issues. In the first case, it is about recognising that income is more important in shaping the environmental approach than the assets. In the second case it is about the possibilities of further comparative research between countries (regions) using aggregated data or from the FADN database. Also, a behavioural approach that takes into account the perception of farm performance objectives by managers seems to be prospective in further research. Moreover we have expanded the policy implications linked to the agricultural education.

“…It is a new topic, which should be developed in the future. At the level of agricultural policy, the question arises: whether the environmental development of farms is stimulated by means of income support ? In light of our research, the answer is positive. It is also a problem of treating farm size as a heterogeneous factor, affected not only by the value of assets but also incomes…” (the lines 603-607)

“…According to our research, the environment approach to the environment is influenced also by agricultural education. This means that agricultural knowledge is crucial in shaping pro-environmental attitudes of agricultural producers…” (the lines 619-621)

“…This is an important conclusion which fits into the paradigm of sustainable development and indicates that economic and environmental development can be stimulated simultaneously. Better treatment of the environment by farmers by improving their approach to these issues will help to improve the environment, which can contribute to the transition towards sustainability…” (the lines 624-628)

“…In addition, the prospects for further research related to the impact of income and assets on the environment should be sought in the area of comparative research between the countries (regions) using aggregated data or the FADN database. A behavioural approach that takes into account the perception of farmers objectives linked to farm’s operating also seems interesting. However, this is limited by the relatively high costs of such surveys. In the case of the research methods, however, the use of the structural equation modelling still seems promising despite some of the limitations that we have mentioned earlier…” (the lines 632-639)

“…There is also the problem of the capitalisation of support (susbsidies), which increases the value of assets without having an adequate impact on the environmental issues. In this case, regulatory solutions at the national level concerning the functioning of the agricultural land market seem important. Simultaneously, agricultural education should also be supported to an even greater extent at the level of the Member States. This also concerns the implementation of courses by the relevant advisory services, as well as social advertisements to raise awareness of the environmental limitations of the functioning of economic entities and the related climate change…” (the lines 649-655)

We have also made minor adjustments to adapt the text to the publishing requirements (mainly the bibliography) and arranged the numbering of the tables.

Once again, we would like to thank for the all valuable comments.               

Sincerely,

Aleksander Grzelak PhD

(corresponding author)

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors improved their manuscript according to the suggestions of my previous review report.

Reviewer 3 Report

All my comments have been addressed. Congrats