Spatial diversity of farms by size and region in Poland and Germany
2016
Jezierska-Thoele, A., Nicolaus Copernicus Univ., Torun (Poland). Faculty of Earth Sciences. Dept. of Spatial Management and Tourism
The aim of the article is to present spatial differentiation of changes in the agrarian structure of Poland against changes in the agrarian structure of Germany, with more attention paid to East Germany due to its socialist past. An important element of the paper is to show the nature, pace and direction of changes in the agrarian structure as well as development trends of farms in Poland and East Germany. The time scale of the study covers 2002-2010. The studies show that the agrarian structure in Poland is more fragmented than in Germany. Very small farms (1-5 ha) in northern and western Poland, which make up to 40.0% of the total, do not have the conditions for the efficient use of labour and an adequate income to keep a family and support development. Poland's adoption of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and the implementation of the Rural Development Programme (2007-13) influenced changes in farm size in northern and western Poland, and - above all - provoked a decline in the number of small farms (by 24%) while increasing average farm size (from 12 to 16 ha). Slow changes in Polish agriculture are the result of the clash of two forces. On the one hand, economic trends seek to concentrate farmland and make better use of its internal potential, while on the other, psycho-social trends put an emphasis on providing jobs in rural areas.
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