Considering the development of organic farming in Poland at different territorial aggregation levels

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show and assess how the level of data aggregation can change the way the development of organic agriculture in Poland in 2014–2021 is perceived. A composite indicator of eco-farming at different levels of territorial aggregation and in different time horizons has been built taking into account sub-components and individual indicators. The performance of organic agriculture with the initial effects of the pandemic (for 2020–2021) was also quantified. The results showed that, in populationally larger territorial units (NUTS-1, NUTS-2, NUTS-3), organic farming characteristics are less variable, whereas the same characteristics show greater variability in smaller territorial units (LAU-1, LAU-2). This reflects the strong regional character of eco-agriculture. It can be observed especially in northern and south-eastern Poland. Moreover, although the highest performance of organic farming was observed in 2021, the effects of the pandemic crisis were highly heterogeneous by location. The results may be crucial for farmers and policymakers in planning sustainable agricultural strategies and building resilient organic regions.