Predispositions and challenges of agriculture from areas particularly facing natural or other specific constraints in Poland in the context of providing environmental public goods under EU policy

Abstract

The study's main objective is to determine the predisposition and challenges of agriculture to provide environmental public goods to society in areas particularly facing natural or other specific constraints (ANCs) established within their current delimitation in Poland. Its organisational features, economic situation, and the degree of interest in measures specifically serving the protection of the natural environment under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) EU were indicated. Statistically significant factors determined farmers' willingness to participate in these measures. It turned out that farms from ANCs communes with particularly difficult conditions significantly contribute to the total production potential of agriculture in Poland. However, compared to farms with better natural conditions, they are characterised by a lower income per 1 ha of utilised agriculture area (UAA) and a higher share of subsidies, including those for participation in environmental measures, which were implemented to a greater extent. Based on the logistic regression model, it was found that in ANCs communes with particularly difficult conditions, the most important factor of farmers' greater willingness to implement environmental measures was their higher level of education. On the other hand, this inclination was negatively affected by the higher income adjusted for operating subsidies per 1 ha of UAA.

Importance of natural conditions in Poland in the operation of fully organic farms and those with co-existing conventional production

“…The APAV is a synthetic indicator of conditions for agricultural production based on four basic environmental elements: soil quality and suitability, soil water conditions, relief, and agroclimatic conditions. The weights assumed in the valuation of individual factors reflect their importance on crop outputs [Zieliński et al 2023]. The theoretical value of the valorization index ranges from 31 points for the poorest habitats least useful for agriculture, to 120 points for the best habitats with optimal conditions for plant growth [Witek et al 1994].…”

Interpreting Different Narratives about Land Services and Land Use Economics of Common Agricultural Policy

“…The economics of land services has been explained in general [63] and further elaborated for agriculture [64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71]. As a recognized think piece, it is an important part of Pillar 1 economics.…”

Adaptation of eco-schemes to Polish agriculture in the first year of the EU CAP 2023-2027

“…In Poland, natural conditions for agriculture are characterised by spatial variability and a large share of areas with natural limitations for agricultural production, as evidenced by the nearly 60% (58.7%) share of ANCs in the total UAA (Zieliński, 2023;Zieliński et al, 2023). On the one hand, ANCs naturally significantly limit the possibility of intensive agricultural production, and on the other hand, they require additional remedial actions to protect the soil and take greater care of the condition of used permanent grasslands.…”