Does Crop–Livestock Integration Enhance Economic Resilience in Organic Farming? Evidence from Polish FADN During the 2020–2022 Multi-Crisis Period
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Date
2026
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MDPI
Abstract
Agriculture, as a production sector, is exposed to external shocks. The instability of agricultural markets, changes in prices of inputs, dropping crop prices, or changes in climate patterns put their economic resilience to the test. Agroecological diversification of production is widely cited as a key adaptive strategy to increase farms’ resilience to these shocks. At the same time, empirical evidence linking crop diversity to economic stability across different production systems remains limited. The aim of the study was to assess whether the integration of more complex crop rotations and livestock production increases the economic resilience of organic farms compared to stockless organic farms and conventional farms. The analysis utilized data from the Polish FADN covering the multi-crisis period of 2020–2022, which included the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the sharp rise in fertilizer and energy prices. Farms were grouped by production type. Crop diversity was assessed using the Shannon–Wiener index (H′) and the Pielou evenness index (J′). The economic resilience of tested farms was determined based on their income, income variability during the study period, and the ability to maintain income above the parity threshold. The results indicated the existence of different pathways for building resilience. Organic farms with permanent crops and field crops were characterized by the highest crop diversity on arable land, while organic farms with dairy cows had the highest overall economic resilience, despite relatively low crop diversity on arable land. This phenomenon can be explained by the high proportion of permanent grasslands, which promoted feed self-sufficiency and the internal circulation of nutrients. The results indicate that in organic systems, the integration of crop and livestock production, based on permanent grassland, may be a more effective way to strengthen economic resilience than crop diversification on arable land alone.
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organic farming, agricultural resilience, crop diversification, Shannon-Wiener index, FADN, crop–livestock integration, permanent grassland, multi-crisis, COVID-19
Citation
Agriculture 2026, 16, 1104