Agrarian Economy 2018 Т. 11 № 3-4:67-75

Structural changes in the agriculture in Poland in the years 1990-2016

Szymańska E. Ja., DrS, professor
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7686-1243
Maj Ja.
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1248-7851
Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW

https://doi.org/10.31734/agrarecon2018.03.067

ANNOTATION

The purpose of the research was the recognition of changes in the Polish Agriculture after the transformation period and the accession of Poland to the EU. The analyses were made based on the Central Statistical Office data from years 1990–2016. Research has shown that period of system transformation in Poland as well as integration of Poland with the EU were of significant influence onto the functioning of farms in the country. The research took into consideration the following: the utilized agricultural area, number of farms and the structure of farms, the sowing area of the selected plants, head-count of basic species in livestock and the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The effects of the changes were presented based on the basic global value and the farming production of goods. For many years, the utilized agricultural areas in Poland is diminishing, the land is more often used for the purpose of residential buildings and development of technical infrastructure. It is disadvantageous to transfer very good farmland for the non-farming purposes. The decrease in utilized agricultural area is accompanied by transferring farmland to the ‘nonsocialised economy’. The increase in area of farmsteads was accompanied by more intense specialisation and intensification of production. In the years 1995–2016 the cultivation of potatoes and rye decreased, but there was an increase in cultivation of corn and colza. The transformation period saw the diminishing of the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. The substantial change in this area occurred before and after the accession of Poland to the EU. The changes in farming are determined mostly by the economic factors: demand, profitability, which determine the relations between prices of products sold by farmers to the prices of goods and services purchased for the farm production purpose and investments. From the beginning of the system transformation, they are governed by the market, and after the integration of Poland with the EU – more and more by the Unitary European Market and the global market.

KEY WORDS

agriculture, Poland, structural changes, utilized agricultural area

FULL TEXT

LINK

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Article received 16.10.2018.