Organic milk production is an environmentally friendly production system based on local forage and a ban on using chemical fertilizers and certain other rules. Organic milk is considered to be healthier and is gaining attention worldwide. The market for organic products is increasing. The aim of the paper was to analyze changes in the development of organic dairy production in Poland in the context of the EU. We analyzed the changes on the European Union (EU) level and the Poland level. To analyze the changes in organic milk production on European Union level, we used the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA). Our results show that both organic milk production and the farm area used for organic production will increase. Moreover, we analyzed the organic dairy farms running rural accountancy within the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) in Poland in the years 2007–2018. We used tabular and graphic methods to present the data. In the analysis the methods of correlation and regression were used. Germany, France, Austria, and Great Britain are the countries with the largest numbers of organic dairy cows. Our prognosis examined the development of organic milk production in the European Union (EU). The number of cows on dairy organic farms will increase in most countries in the EU. Then, we analyzed the impact of the chosen factors on three dependent variables: organic milk production, total production of organic dairy farms, and income from family farms. The most important independent variables were cow numbers, the value of fixed assets, the value of current assets, long-term debt, and short-term debt.

The size of farms is one of the most important factors affecting their efficiency. The size of farms affects the ability to invest and introduce technical progress, achieve economies of scale, both internal and external, as well as achieving higher efficiency. The aim of the work is to determine the variation in the effectiveness of production factors and the level of investment depending on the economic size of farms. Data from the Polish FADN database for the years 2010-2017 were used. It was found that along with an increase in economic size, the productivity of production factors increased, productivity in crop and animal production grew and the intensity of reproduction of assets increased. It was found that in farms of the first size class (about 10 ha) were characterized by low efficiency in all assessed aspects and achieved worse dynamics of effectiveness changes. In medium-sized farms (50 ha), a 30-80% higher level of all efficiency indicators was achieved and, in the case of work, efficiency even by 600%. It should be emphasized that farms classified as first class size have no development opportunities because they do not generate a sufficient surplus to provide income for the family and implement investments. The main function of small farms may be its social function and its income may only be an additional source of income for the farmer’s family. In order for Polish agriculture to be effective, intensive concentration processes are necessary.

The land resources available for agriculture are limited. The global population is growing constantly, and so is demand for food. Increase in agricultural production can be achieved either through intensification of production or through technological progress. In the recent decades, increase in global agricultural production has been achieved mainly thanks to increase in effectiveness of production factors. The objective of this study is to compare changes in agricultural production in the selected new Member States of the EU after year 1991 and to determine the significance of TFP in production increase. The analysed period encompassed years 1991-2014; source data published by USDA were used. It was found that after the systemic transformation, a significant decrease in agricultural production-even to 40 %-was recorded. This was due to reduction of the area of farming land, limiting of use of production factors and their reduced productivity. In the following years, agricultural production in the countries examined increased notwithstanding further limitation of inputs. This was due to gradual increase in factor productivity. In the examined period, increase in TFP almost entirely balanced off the decrease in production inputs and limitation of production area. In 2014, compared to 1991, inputs in some countries decreased even by 50 %, while production was reduced by no more than 30 %. The strongest increase in factor productivity was achieved in Latvia (38 %), Poland (26 %) and Estonia (24 %); nevertheless, in all of the countries analysed except for Poland, increase in production was due only to increase in TFP. In Poland, this process was accompanied also by intensification of production. Increase in production factor productivity is the key variable that generates increase in agricultural production, also under the conditions of limitation of farming land and extensification of agricultural production.

Farms in Poland come in a wide variety of sizes, and the effect of farm size on the profitability of labor has not been sufficiently investigated. This paper takes a fresh look at the model for labor profitability determinants of family farms in Poland in relation to their economic size. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that determine the labor profitability index in farms of various economic size classes (classes ES1–ES5). In the analysis of factors shaping the profitability of labor in family farms, a panel analysis was applied. Family farm income expressed per family labor unit was adopted as the dependent variable. The following variables were used as explanatory variables: (1) macroeconomic index of price relations (“price gap”); unemployment; average monthly gross wages and salaries; inflation; (2) technical-agricultural production efficiency index; (3) microeconomic ratio of total assets to agricultural land; technical equipment for work; land-to-labor ratio; debt ratio, subsidy ratio, and investment effort. A diversified influence of selected factors determining the level of profitability of labor in agriculture in particular groups of farms was found. The econometric models developed also indicate different strategies that are adopted by farmers on various farms. There is no single solution here; strategies for improving the profitability of work must take into account the specificity of a given entity. The models estimated indicate the necessity of using other mechanisms and tools of agricultural policy for farms of various economic sizes. It should be expected that, in the future, there will be a dichotomous development of farms. Medium-sized farms will become larger and economically effective, and smaller farms will perform residential functions, with the disappearing function of agricultural production.

The aim of the study is to determine the level and dynamics of changes in the productivity of the basic production factors in Polish agriculture for the years 1995–2015. The analysis was conducted on the basis of statistical data provided by the Central Statistical Office. Changes in the productivity of land, labour and capital were determined separately. There was a significant increase in the productivity of the basic production factors in Polish agriculture. Based on the value of commercial production as a measure, it was found that in the years 1995–2015 the land productivity has increased by 100%, labour productivity by 38% and capital productivity by 34%. The compound annual growth rates were amounted to 3.94, 2.39 and 1.34% respectively. Based on the research results one can say that technological changes in Polish agriculture are relatively land-saving and capital-intensive. The productivity growth in agriculture in the future will depend mainly on the dynamics of land concentration in larger farms and consequently increase of the production scale in agriculture.