On 2–4 September 2025, the 31st Congress of the Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists (SERiA) was held in Rzeszów under the motto “Challenges for agribusiness and rural areas”, organised by the Faculty of Economics and Finance of the University of Rzeszów. The SERiA Congress is a recurring academic event bringing together a nationwide and international community of specialists—researchers and practitioners—dealing broadly with issues concerning the food sector and rural development. The Congress is organised each year by a different academic centre. This year, for the third time in its history, the SERiA Congress came to Rzeszów.

The 31st SERiA Congress was attended by 120 participants representing 36 institutions, including representatives of 22 higher education institutions from Poland and abroad (the USA, the Netherlands, Ukraine), 6 research institutes, and 8 government and local government institutions operating in the environment of agribusiness and rural areas (including Statistics Poland – GUS, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – MRiRW).

Honorary patronage of the SERiA Congress was assumed by:

• Rector of the University of Rzeszów – Professor Adam Reich,
• Marshal of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship – Władysław Ortyl,
• Voivode of Podkarpackie – Teresa Kubas-Hul,
• President of Rzeszów – Konrad Fijołek,
• President of Statistics Poland (GUS) – Dr hab. Marek Cierpiał-Wolan, Prof. UR.

The Congress was opened by the Chair of the Organising Committee, Associate Professor Ryszard Kata, who emphasised the breadth and timeliness of the issues addressed at the Congress. The President of the Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists, Professor Mariusz Matyka, thanked the authorities of the University of Rzeszów for agreeing to host the 31st SERiA Congress and for undertaking the effort of its organisation.

On behalf of the organisers, guests were welcomed by the Rector of the University of Rzeszów, Professor Adam Reich, who noted, among other things, that the venue of the conference on the boundary between the city of Rzeszów and rural areas (Hotel Wellness & SPA NOWY DWÓR in Świlcza) is symbolic, as the challenges and problems affecting the food sector and the countryside are important to society as a whole and have not only an economic dimension, but also social and environmental aspects, as well as implications for food security and cultural heritage.

The Deputy Voivode of Podkarpackie, Tomasz Lorenc, spoke to participants about the socio-economic assets of the region, including tourism, and its dynamic development. The Director of the Podkarpackie Agricultural Advisory Centre in Boguchwała (PODR), Zbigniew Micał, discussed the structural features, production potential, and strengths and weaknesses of agriculture in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.

The honorary chair of the Congress, Associate Professor Grzegorz Ślusarz, former President of SERiA, took part in the inauguration, as did the authorities of the Faculty of Economics and Finance at the University of Rzeszów, headed by the Dean, Associate Professor Bogdan Wierzbiński.

At the plenary session, the following papers were delivered:

• Professor Andrzej Czyżewski – The evolution of budgetary expenditure on agriculture in Poland over two decades of European Union membership;
• Associate Professor Iwona Szczepaniak – A comparison of the production potential of Mercosur and EU countries, including Poland, in the context of the EU–Mercosur agreement;
• Associate Professor Dusan Drabik – Reducing Food Loss and Waste along a Food Supply Chain: Insights from Modelling the EU Voluntary and Mandatory Targets.

On the second day of the Congress, eight parallel thematic sections were held, covering a wide range of topics relating to agriculture and, more broadly, agribusiness, as well as the economic and social processes taking place in rural areas. A total of 64 papers were presented, each followed by discussion.

A unique feature of the SERiA Congresses is the linking of the world of science with economic and institutional practice. This is achieved mainly through panel discussions to which practitioners from the economic and social spheres, and representatives of institutions operating in the rural and agricultural environment, are invited. As part of the 31st SERiA Congress in Rzeszów, two panel discussions were held.

On the first day of the Congress, a panel entitled Agricultural policy and institutions versus the functioning and development of the agri-food sector took place, with the following participants:

• Professor Mariusz Matyka, Director of the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute in Puławy – moderator;
• Błażej Borowiec, Director of the Podkarpackie Regional Office of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture in Rzeszów;
• Tomasz Milewski, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Statistics Poland;
• Magdalena Sobina, Director of the Department of Rural Development Programmes, Marshal’s Office of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship;
• Zbigniew Micał, Director of the PODR in Boguchwała;
• Professor Walenty Poczta, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Poznań University of Life Sciences.

On the following day, a panel entitled The countryside and agriculture in mountainous and sub-mountainous areas – economic, natural and social conditions was held, with the following participants:

• Professor Adam Czudec, University of Rzeszów, Faculty of Economics and Finance – moderator;
• Professor Krzysztof Kukuła, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Protection and Shaping, Faculty of Technology and Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów;
• Dr Bogdan Pomianek, Deputy Director, Department of the Common Agricultural Policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;
• Dr Władysław Brejta, President of the Experimental Establishment of the National Research Institute of Animal Production in Odrzechowa;
• Robert Pieszczoch, Starost of Sanok County, farmer, breeder of cattle and sheep.

Both panels attracted great interest from the audience and provided an opportunity for discussion not only during the formal sessions but also in the margins of the Congress.

An afternoon walk through the streets of Rzeszów, accompanied by guides—Łukasz Ożóg (Head of the Department of Education, Promotion and Digitalisation) and Inga Kunysz (museum curator) from the District Museum in Rzeszów—introduced guests not only to the history of the capital of Podkarpackie but also allowed them to appreciate the aesthetics of the urban space and the city’s characteristic blend of modernity and tradition.

As part of the artistic segment of the Congress, participants had the opportunity to see a performance by the youth dance group Prima Dance Academy from Rzeszów and to attend a concert entitled “The Charm of Musical Memories” performed by Jacek Ścibor (tenor, University of Rzeszów, Faculty of Music) and Mateusz Lasatowicz (piano, Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice). The concert took place in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Music at the University of Rzeszów. Both events were hosted by Dr Magdalena Wiercioch (University of Rzeszów, Faculty of Economics and Finance).

A study visit provided an occasion to bring science and economic practice closer together and to familiarise Congress guests from various regions of Poland and abroad with the tourist assets of Podkarpackie. On the third day, participants visited two vineyards located in the southern part of the voivodeship in the Strzyżów Foothills (“Maria Anna Vineyard” in Babica and “Spotkaniówka Vineyard” in Połomia). The tourist attractions of the region—particularly the Low Beskids and the Strzyżów Foothills—were showcased during visits to the Iwonicz-Zdrój Spa and the Park-and-Manor Complex in Wiśniowa. The organisers of the Congress would like to thank the local authorities of the Commune of Iwonicz-Zdrój, in particular Mayor Grzegorz Nieradka and Deputy Mayor Stanisław Zając, for their warm welcome to the group of Congress participants. Similarly, we thank the authorities of Strzyżów County, in particular Mr Robert Godek, Starost of Strzyżów, for the kind reception of the group at the County Centre for Culture and Tourism in Wiśniowa.

Participants of the 31st SERiA Congress unanimously stressed that the event was of a high substantive standard and offered an opportunity not only to exchange views and experiences, but also to discover the unique landscape and tourist assets of Podkarpackie.

Photo credits: Michał Święcicki, Piotr Cyrek