The positive feedback effect may cause that the improvement of the financial potential of farms should translate into the increase of the future competitiveness. Negative feedback effect will result in its decrease. It has to be remembered, however, that no automatisms apply in this case since the financial potential is only one of many determinants of competitiveness and building competitive advantages. The latter, however, form a complementary interdependent system rather than excluding characteristics. The article presents the analysis of four of many possible classifications of competitive advantages in agriculture: efficiency/productivity one; the one based on innovations and entrepreneurship; the one referring to corporate social responsibility (CSR), and the one referring to creating shared economic and social value (CSV). Moreover, the article covers an analysis of relations between competitiveness and cooperation, namely problems with e.g. coopetition and creation of syncretic rent in networks of various organisations, often those functioning in vertically integrated systems. The latter more and more often appear in the food sector.