ECOLOGICAL FARM DEVELOPMENT IN POLAND

Ecological farming is developing rapidly in Poland. It enhances farm incomes while preserving the natural environment and cultural heritage. Ecological farming is based on natural methods of land cultivation which preserve the fertility of land and protect animals. The most important advantage of ecological farming is the preservation of biodiversity. The number of ecological farms increased in 2005 to almost ten times their 1999 figures. The average ecological farm area has 23 hectares and is much larger in comparison to traditional farms. The total average agricultural land under ecological production in 2005 also increased. The collected data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed the increasing use of ecological agriculture and the number of processing factories using ecological products both before and after Polish integration with the European Union.