RESEARCH PAPER
CHANGES IN POLISH AGRICULTURE FROM 2004 TO 2022
IN THE LIGHT OF ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
AND EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERSHIP
More details
Hide details
1
Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Submission date: 2025-03-13
Final review date: 2025-06-17
Acceptance date: 2025-07-30
Publication date: 2025-09-30
Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej / Problems of Agricultural Economics 2025;384(3):21-50
KEYWORDS
JEL CLASSIFICATION CODES
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Aim:
The aim of the article was to identify changes in domestic agriculture and their determinants
affecting the economic situation of farms during Poland’s membership in the EU.
Material and methods:
The analyses were based on empirical material, including data from public statistics
(Statistics Poland, ARMA and Eurostat) and the literature on the subject. The study used descriptive,
historical, and index methods as well as the method of a scoping literature review. The observation
period covered the years 2004–2022.
Results:
The analysis of public statistics data and the literature review showed that in almost two decades
since Poland’s accession to the EU, economic changes took place which affected the situation
of the agricultural sector, agricultural structures, and farms. An important role in processes under
examination was played by the instruments of the EU common agricultural policy, stabilizing the position
of farmers, especially in terms of improving their income situation and enhancing the possibilities
for growth and modernization of production within the developing agri-food sector.
Conclusions:
However, during the analyzed period, no significant structural transformations in agriculture
were observed, especially in the agrarian structure. They followed a trend towards the concentration
of agricultural land in relatively larger and commercially viable farms, but the scale and
pace of this process was small, which was associated with the effects of EU and national agricultural
policy solutions.