Organic farming and its market in Poland from the perspective of 2020. Current status and prospects.

Organic farming was initiated in Poland in the mid-1980s, that is two decades before the accession to the EU and the adoption of Community legislation governing the system of organic food production.

Just then, on the initiative of several scientists and agricultural advisors and around a hundred farmers gathered around them, the movement for „food without chemicals” was born. Five years later, in 1989 it was registered as EKOLAND Association of Ecological Food Producers. In 1990, EKOLAND organized the first farmer evaluation, 27 of which received the pioneering in-conversion status. The EKOLAND criteria had been derived from the Basic Standards of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). Thanks to this the young national trend remained, from the very beginning, within the framework of the developing European system of organic production.

In 1996, the independent certification body (AGRO BIO TEST) separated from EKOLAND; some later two others came forward. In 1998, certified organic farmers received, for the first time, subsidies for control costs from the budget of the ministry of agriculture, and a few years later – also for organically farmed land. Domestic resources were quite modest and were not accompanied by a promotional campaign, so the system developed slowly.

The accession to the European Union in 2004 significantly strengthened the attractiveness of organic farming in Poland and resulted in 10 years of rapid increase in the number and area of farms converting to organic farming. The main incentive was the financial support under the EU agri-environmental program. However, the tightening of sanctions (return of several years of subsidies) for failure to meet the obligations interrupted the good streak and led to a downward trend.

Paradoxically, this has no impact on the organic market, which is developing without any institutional support, showing a steady increase in turnover (around 10% annually) despite the modest offer of domestic products, compensated by EU organic articles deliveries.

With all the complexity of natural, social and organizational factors, organic farming in Poland has enormous development potential, which is fostered by the new EU Green Deal strategy.

This study tries to bring the picture closer.