Determinants of Self-Supply of Food and Services in Rural Households in Poland Using Canonical Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the size and structure of self-supply of food and services in rural households and to indicate the hierarchy of factors determining the choice of this form of consumption in the discussed households in Poland. Design/Methodology/Approach: The level and structure of self-supply of food and services in rural households depend on the simultaneous action of many factors. The impact of these determinants on consumption behavior in the researched rural households was examined using the canonical correlation analysis. The study period concerned 2017. Findings: Significant determinants in the conducted study turned out to be the variables describing the number of children in a household and the number of people permanently working on a farm. Household income, the assessment of economic living conditions in Poland, or the type of commune in which the respondents lived also turned out to be an important factor influencing the level of self-supply of food and services in the surveyed rural households. Practical Implications: The article allows to assess the scale of the phenomenon and the determinants of self-supply with food and services, which gained a new meaning during the lockdown period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/Value: There are no analyses in the literature describing prosumer behavior related to the production of food and the provision of services by all households in rural areas, both those related to agriculture and non-agricultural ones.