Hungary’s Agricultural Sector Shifts Gears With Fewer Farms, Larger Operations, and Rising Sustainability
Hungary's agricultural sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation, reflecting wider European trends. According to the recently released final data of the 2023 Integrated Farm Structure Survey by the Central Statistical Office (KSH), the number of farms continues to decline while the size of farms and levels of production are rising.
Sustainability, Biologicals, and the Future of Crops
With a quarter century of experience in agriculture, Sergii Kharin, business director at Corteva Agriscience in Hungary, reflects on a sector transformed by sustainability, innovation, and global demand. In this interview, he highlights Hungary’s unique regulatory environment, the openness of local farmers to new technologies, and how Corteva’s science-driven approach continues to shape the future of farming—from AI and biologicals to next-generation seed development.
The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Digitalization in Agriculture
The “Technology – Data – Intelligence 2025” conference, organized by the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Szeged and SZTE TTC Zrt., was held under the subtitle “Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Agrifood Sector” and carried not only national but international significance as well.
The professional event, which focused on the applications of digitalization and Industry 4.0 in agriculture, was made particularly special by the participation of Gábor Molnár, a senior expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido), who shared his experiences in a roundtable discussion. Participants shared a common conviction: digitalization is not the future—it is already the present. Now is the time to turn data into knowledge, and knowledge into sustainable, competitive practices.
The conference was opened by Edit Mikó, dean of the SZTE Faculty of Agriculture; Prof. Ildikó Csóka, chief strategic director of SZTE and professional head of IKIKK; and Zoltán Kónya, vice-rector for Science and Innovation. In their introductions, they emphasized that the future of agriculture is no longer decided solely in the fields, but within digital systems, data-driven decision-making, and international knowledge sharing.
Throughout the program, participants received a comprehensive picture of how artificial intelligence is transforming the functioning of farms, how production efficiency can be improved, and what new forms of collaboration are emerging among science, industry, and policymakers.
UNIDO – HUNGARIAN CONNECTIONS, GLOBAL HORIZONS
One of the day’s most anticipated events was the roundtable discussion with Gábor Molnár, industrial development expert at Unido. His presence was especially significant, as Unido, a specialized agency of the United Nations, is rarely represented at domestic agricultural forums—particularly not in such a direct manner as now in Szeged.
In his remarks, Molnár not only highlighted the sustainable industrial and agricultural innovation solutions supported by Unido, but also outlined concrete opportunities for stakeholders in Hungarian agriculture. He emphasized that Hungary—especially with its university knowledge base and R&D capacity—has a strong chance to join international projects, both from a technological and a financial perspective.
András Ujhegyi, CEO of SZTE TTC Zrt.
Central Europe’s Most Significant Alternative Feed Protein Plant Now Operating in Hungary
Hungarian company Agroloop Hungary Kft. opened its 13,000-square-meter feed protein production plant in Üllő’s Aerozone Park a few months ago.
The development, completed with a EUR 30 million investment, is the first industrial-scale insect protein processing plant for feed purposes in Hungary.
The facility produces healthy pet food ingredients and organic soil improvers using a circular model in an environmentally friendly way.
The feed insect market is on the verge of a revolutionary boom: according to expert estimates, by the end of the decade, it will reach an annual turnover of 2 billion euros in the EU, producing 1 million tons of insect meal each year.
One of the main reasons is the soaring demand for alternative protein sources due to increasing global protein needs. This includes soybean protein currently imported from South America and fishmeal, both of which leave an enormous ecological footprint.
The solution may lie in efficient and environmentally friendly local production of feed ingredients from readily available biomass.
“By sourcing all raw materials within a 100 km radius and operating under a circular economic model, CO2 emissions are reduced, wasted organic food by-products are reused, less rainforest is cut down, and the import of genetically modified soy protein to Hungary decreases.”
János Áder
Climate Damage Spurs Urgent Call for Precision Breeding in Hungarian Agriculture
Modern Hungarian agriculture has been hit with numerous challenges in the past five years —of which the impact of climate change is by far the most severe. Due to the changing climate, damages to the agricultural sector are estimated to have reached approximately HUF 1 trillion over the five-year period.
Women Lead More Sustainable Farms – New Corvinus Study Concludes
Agricultural enterprises led by women optimize resources better and operate with greater eco-efficiency, producing their goods with less environmental impact, according to a recent Hungarian-Slovenian study led by Corvinus University of Budapest.
The research, conducted by Imre Fertő, full professor at Corvinus University, and his international team, analyzed the leadership of over 300 Hungarian field crop farms to explore environmental efficiency differences according to the gender of the company leaders. Using data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), their findings were published in the Scientific Reports journal in early May.
The results reveal that farms led by women consistently achieve higher eco-efficiency scores compared to those led by men: on average, women-led farms scored 0.361, about 14% higher than men-led farms at 0.316. The eco-efficiency indicator created by the authors, ranging from 0 to 1, measures the ability of farms to minimise environmental burdens, such as fertiliser and pesticide inputs and energy consumption per hectare, while maintaining current economic value added.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, LONG-TERM PLANNING OUTLINED AS KEY ADVANTAGES
This female environmental efficiency advantage largely stems from women’s superior resource management. Additionally, the study highlights the role of collaborative, innovative, and
long-term planning leadership and decision-making styles commonly employed by women. Among farms with the highest eco-efficiency, women-led operations stand out even more prominently compared to their male counterparts.
“Our findings underscore the need for agricultural policies that reduce farming’s ecological footprint to promote sustainability. Achieving this requires breaking down stereotypes and moving beyond traditional views of eco-efficiency. Supporting women farmers’ access to resources, knowledge, and innovations, such as e-commerce and cooperative models, is essential,” emphasized Imre Fertő, the study’s lead author.
“Creating an environment that welcomes and values women’s participation is critical, given their key role not only in enhancing the sustainability and productivity of agriculture but also in the longterm socio-economic development of rural areas,” he added.
TAILORING STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN’S INVOLVEMENT
“To generalize the policy implications beyond Hungary, countries should first assess whether their farming sectors and gender dynamics resemble the Hungarian
“Our findings underscore the need for agricultural policies that reduce farming’s ecological footprint to promote sustainability. Achieving this requires breaking down stereotypes and moving beyond traditional views of eco-efficiency.”
Imre Fertő
Photo by Hun-Ren KRTK
AGRO & FOOD EXECUTIVE BIOGRAPHIES
AGRO & FOOD LISTINGS
