Elżbieta Jadwiga Szymańska

The research problem adopted in this study concerns the limited cooperation of fruit farms with the institutional environment. The aim of the study was to identify the scope and to evaluate the cooperation of fruit farms with the institutional environment and to identify barriers to developing this cooperation. This is an important issue because the increasingly complex and dynamic economic environment makes the results of fruit farms largely dependent on the influence of various organizations and institutions of the agricultural sector. The review of the literature shows that this issue is not recognized. The study’s novelty is developing an original indicator of relations with the institutional environment. It considers the number and frequency of contacts between fruit growers and organizations, as well as the forms of cooperation. The basic research area covered the region of Małopolska and Pogórze, characterized by high agrarian fragmentation and the development of orchard production. The research covered 45 farms and was conducted based on a survey questionnaire. Descriptive and statistical methods were used in the data analysis, such as the chi-square test and the Kruskal–Wallis test, supplemented with post hoc analysis (Dunn test with Bonferroni correction) and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Research shows that the relationship between fruit growers and agricultural organizations is limited. The size of the indicator depends on the level of education of fruit growers and the area of the orchards. Fruit growers most often use advice and seek information about European Union programs. The development of cooperation between fruit farms and institutional environmental organizations reduces the mismatch between the offers of these organizations and the needs of fruit growers.