The sustainable development paradigm versus land concentration processes

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to answer the question of whether structural changes in agriculture are consistent with the concept of sustainable development. The adopted assumption is that both agriculture and all rural areas should develop in accordance with the paradigm of sustainable development, which means there is a need to abandon the mainstream neoliberal paradigm which currently dominates the economy. The research draws on the results of the Agricultural Censuses carried out in Poland in the years 2010 and 2020. As the conducted research shows, the processes of land ownership concentration in Polish agriculture are advancing, leading to the emergence of industrial agriculture, but contradicting the paradigm of sustainable development. These processes, however, have been occurring in an uneven manner, with their scale and dynamics depending on historical determinants. The concentration processes are predominantly noticeable in western and northern Poland, whereas in south-eastern and central Poland their pace is slower. This may result in the formation of a dual model of agricultural development in Poland, in which, on the one hand, industrial agriculture will function by striving to increase competitiveness through higher productivity, and, on the other, sustainable agriculture will also develop (in south-eastern and central Poland). Avoiding such a division would require a change in the approach to agricultural policy, primarily in terms of adjusting the tools aimed at influencing agriculture to regional conditions.