Impact of the financial assistance provided as part of the Rural Development Programme on the state of organic farming in Poland in the years 2014–2022

Abstract

This article presents the state of Polish organic farming in the years 2014–2022 in the context of sector subsidies, among others from community funds. The aim of the study is to show the relationship between development and subsidies for organic farming, as well as the rates of change over the analysed period, with a practical goal of providing conclusions that could increase the interest of farmers in organic production. The basic issue that needs to be addressed is both the dropping number of such farms and decreasing area of organically farmed usable agricultural land (UAL), with the number of organic farms, UAL areas in each region, changes in types of production, and the structure of UAL areas being the subject of analysis. The article also explores the support provided for organic farming from national and community funds, before concluding with subsidy amounts proposed for the years 2023–2027. The desk res e arch method was applied, with sources, among others, including data, reports, information available online (on websites) as well as national and foreign legal instruments. Analysis of the data shows that the development of organic farming is contingent on the amounts of subsidies and the suitable manufacturing potential of farms. Opposing the shrinkage of this sector also depends on legal and organisational solutions that guarantee satisfactory income from organic production. Keywords: Strategic Plan for Common Agricultural Policy (SP CAP), organic payments, Rural Development Programme (RDP), organic agriculture, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).