Dylematy ekologizacji rolnictwa w Polsce

Abstract

The article deals with various economic aspects of ecological agriculture, ranging from its background in Western Europe to supply and demand conditions in Poland. The hitherto prevalent view has been one-sided in handling problems of ecological agriculture, hence an enrichment with economic aspects is necessary. The development of ecological agriculture in Western Europe has been for a long time on the margin of economic life. Its recent dynamization has been taking place in a situation where on the one hand traditional agriculture secures enough cheap standard food, on the other hand it scarcely satisfies the demand for quality food. Simultaneously, traditional agriculture produces a food surplus affecting state budgets, which makes ecological agriculture a viable method of controlling overproduction. The problem of ecological agriculture in Poland boils down to the question which of its structural characteristics can be viewed as favourable or unfavourable from the point of view of the problems facing the Polish economy today. Until the overproduction problem and the consumer demand for ecological food can be researched, it is undesirable to copy mechanically the western experience in ecological agriculture.