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1 "J "J 1 (P)
Elzbieta Bombik , Antoni Bombik , Kazimierz Wozny , Krzysztof Gorski
1 Department of Reproduction and Animal Hygiene, 2 Department of Agricultural Experimentation, University of Podlasie, Siedlce, Poland
FOOD PRODUCTION ON SELECTED ORGANIC FARMS IN POLAND
The objective of the work is to characterise selected organic farms in terms of the organic food they produce. It was found that the raised public awareness stimulates consumers' interest in organic food. Most farmers view organic food as a special group of products which are mainly characterised by health properties, high quality, as well as nutritional value and taste.
Key words: organic farms, crop plant production, livestock production, organic food
Introduction. Origins of organic farming in Poland go back to the first half of the 20th century. A renewed interest in this method of farming was observed in the 1980s. In 1998 182 farms were subject to inspection and they comprised 5.5 thousand ha, that is about 0.03%, of arable land in Poland. There has been observed a rapid development of organic farming following an introduction of funding per area of organic cultivated land in 1998 and legal regulations in 2001. In 2001 organic farms covered an area of 0.3% arable land in Poland (Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection, IJHAR-S, 2003). In recent years more and more farmers, processors, consumers and trade businesses have been interested in organic farms and their produce (Zi^ba, 2008).
According to data published by GUS (Main Statistical Office) (Ochrona Srodowiska, 2008), the total area of organic farms reached 280 th hectares and the number of both certified farms and those undergoing conversion amounted to 11 200, which accounts for 2% all farms in Poland in 2007. The area of an organic farm in Poland averages about 25 hectares.
At present livestock organic production provides an alternative for small and mid-sized farms. Based on the principles of sustainable development, the aim of the production is to provide consumers with products of high quality which are safe in terms of their quality. Both consumers' expectations and assumptions of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy have contributed to the development of organic farming. What is also important is direct payments as well as much higher prices of organic products (Runowski, 1999).
Crop plant and livestock production on an organic farm is not easy. There exist a number of legal regulations which organic farmers have to comply with, including a necessity to keep records and being subject to inspection measures and control. It requires not only a substantial amount of awareness on the producer's side but also his/her specialist knowledge (Walczak and Szewczyk, 2005). According to
© Elzbieta Bombik, Antoni Bombik, Kazimierz Wozny, Krzysztof Gorski, 2009 322
Zegar (2006), the stocking rate per 100 ha arable land (cattle, sheep, goats and horses) on organic farms is over twice as high as in conventional holdings. Organic farming must be conducted in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products, Directive no 98/58/EC of 20 June 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, Council Regulation (EC) No 1804/99 of 19 July 1999 on organic livestock production as regards cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and poultry, the Polish Organic Farming Act of 20 April 2004 (J.L. No 93, item 898) establishing Polish inspection, control and certification bodies, and many other legal acts (Tyburski and Zakowska-Biemans, 2007).
Supply of crops which can be safely consumed (pulses, cereal grain, potatoes, vegetables and fruit) is an important part of organic farming. Owing to full biological value, that is nutrient (protein, fats, carbohydrates), vitamin and mineral contents and lack of contaminants dangerous to the human body, organic products can contribute to healthy and vigorous lives of people, particularly due to the fact that organic food is associated with the unpolluted environment (Sobczyk, 2000).
Production of organic food in Poland amounted to barely 1.0-1.5% bulk commodity output in 2007 and is predicted to increase to 3.0% or even 4.0% by 2013 (Zi?ba, 2008).
The objective of the work is to characterise selected organic farms in terms of the organic food they produce.
Materials and Methods. Studies were conducted on 6 organic farms, either certified or in the conversion period. The farms are located in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship (a province in central Poland). The work included an analysis of the range of foodstuffs sold on the farms under study, properties of organic food, methods of organic food selection, purchase place, criteria of foodstuff selection and motives behind the decision to purchase organic food. The studies were based on surveys, analyses and interviews conducted with farmers operating the organic farms. The Mazowieckie Voivodeship is one of the regions in Europe which has uncontaminated nature and high tourism value. What is more, it is characterised by a large area of woodlands. The region is situated in the valleys of the river Bug, Narew and Wisla and is part of the "Green Lungs of Poland" area. A great proportion of the agricultural land belongs to the quality classes IV to VI. This, coupled with the unpolluted environment, makes it possible for organic farming to develop successfully.
Results and discussion. Organic farm 1 is situated in Holowienki, the village in the east of Mazowsze, the Sokolowski Poviat (District). The village and the surrounding area are located in the river Bug basin at the southern end of the "Green Lungs of Poland" region. The neighbouring area belongs to the Bug River Valley Landscape Park. The owner of the farm produces organic food which can be marketed as a product of organic farming certified by the AGRO BIO TEST. The farm's area is 17 hectares of arable land, the soil belongs to the quality classes III to VI. The main operation on the farm is crop plant and livestock production. The produce of the farm includes: vegetables, fruit (blackcurrant), cereals (spelt, rye,
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triticale) and potatoes. The following animals are kept on the farm: cows, calves, porkers, goats, ducks and hens. The products sold on the farm include: potatoes, vegetables, spelt flour and groats, eggs, sausages and other cured meats.
Organic farm 2, "Fiord-Ciopan", is situated in Ciopan, the village situated 40 km east of Warsaw, the Stanislawow Gmina (Commune). The area is naturally diversified, surrounded by forests and with a low level of industrialisation. The owners of the farm produce organic food. The farm's products can be marketed as products of organic farming certified by the AGRO BIO TEST. The area of the farm is 22 ha agricultural land - mostly permanent grassland (meadows and pastures). The soils belong to the quality classes IV, V and VI. The production of the farm is animal feed-oriented but the owners raise horses and chickens, too. The predominant cultivated crop plants are cereals - mainly oats and rye - legume intercrops and lupin. The products are on-farm sold to either individual visitors or groups visiting the farm. The excess of vegetables and eggs is directly sold on the farm.
Organic farm 3 is located in Ruchna, a village situated 5 km of W^grow, the W^growski Poviat. The river Liwiec flows in the proximity of the farm. The farm's products can be marketed as products of organic farming certified by the Ekogwarancja PTRE. The farm's area is 5 ha, including 0.3 ha permanent grassland and its soil belongs to the quality classes IV and V. The owners of the farm produce mainly fruit (strawberries) and vegetables (tomatoes and pepper).
Organic farm 4 is located in Kolonia M^czyn, the Mokobody Gmina, the Siedlecki Poviat. The products of the farm can be marketed as products of organic farming certified by the AGRO BIO TEST. The area of the organic farm is 13 ha, including 9 ha of arable land whose soil belongs to the quality classes III to VI. The owners of the farm cultivate crop plants, raise livestock but it is also a breeding farm. The crop plants include spring cereal mixtures, rye and potatoes. The livestock includes beef cattle, pigs and poultry. Main products of the farm include cow's milk, eggs, pork, beef, potatoes as well as rye and cereal mixture grain.
Organic farm 5 is situated in Nieciecz Dwor, the Sabnie Gmina, the Sokolowski Poviat. The products of the farm can be marketed as organic farming products certified by the AGRO BIO TEST. The farm comprises 9 ha of agricultural land, including 5 ha of cultivated land whose soil belongs to the quality class VI. It is a crop plant and livestock production-oriented farm. Oat, triticale and spelt are crop plants grown on the farm. Livestock includes pigs (a sow, piglets and porkers). Animals are sold at collection points or their meat is on-farm sold.
Organic farm 6 is located in Tr^bice Dolne, the Paprotnia Gmina, the Siedlecki Poviat. The products of the farm can be marketed as organic farming products certified by the AGRO BIO TEST. The area of the farm is 12 ha of agricultural land, including 6 ha of permanent grassland (meadows and pastures). The soils belong to the quality classes III and IV. The farm produces crop plants and livestock. Crop plants include spring cereal mixtures, winter cereals and potatoes as well as vegetables to meet the needs of the farm's owners. Dairy as well as beef cattle (respectively, six and eight animals) and hens are the animals raised on the farm. The
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products are marketed directly on the farm or on local markets. They include: milk, beef as well as potatoes.
The studies indicated that the average size of an organic farm ranged between 10 and 20 ha. Fifty per cent of the farms were characterised by such a size (table 1). The average size of the organic farms under study was smaller than the average size of Polish organic farms (Ochrona Srodowiska, 2008).
Table 1
Size of organic farms
Size of a farm (ha) Number of farms Proportion (%)
5 1 16
5-10 1 16
10-20 3 50
20-25 1 16
The production on the examined organic farms was diversified (100%). The greatest number, that is 60% of the surveyed farms, were crop plant and livestock-oriented holdings and the same farming system was typical of four out of six farms under study (table 2).
Table 2
Operations on the organic farms
Operation of the farm Number of farms Proportion (%)
Crop plant and livestock 4 66
Vegetable 1 16
Breeding 3 50
Vegetable-cereal 2 33
Cereal 4 66
Diversified 6 100
The owners of the surveyed organic farms sold mostly potatoes, vegetables and eggs, which accounted for 50% total sale. By contrast, they sold least cereal products (table 3).
Table 3
Range of products offered by the examined organic farms
Range of products Number of farms Proportion (%)
Eggs 3 50
Milk 2 33
Vegetables 3 50
Fruits 1 16
Potatoes 3 50
Groats 1 16
Flour 1 16
Cured meat 1 16
Pigs 2 33
Cattle 1 16
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Analysis of the organic farms revealed that on all the farms products were directly marketed and only few (two out of six holdings) sold their products at collection points (table 4).
Table 4
Methods of marketing organic products
Method of marketing
Number of farms
Proportion (%)
Direct Retail
6 2
100 33
Most of the farmers perceived organic food as a specific group of products which are characterised mainly by health qualities. What is more, many thought that the food is both nutritive and tasty. A beneficial influence of the food on the environment was mentioned by two, that is 33%, out of six respondents (table 5).
Table 5
Qualities of organic food as perceived by the owners of the surveyed farms
Food qualities Number of farms Proportion (%)
Healthy 6 100
Without chemicals 6 100
Safe 5 83
Nutritious 5 83
Tasty 3 50
Environmentally-friendly 2 33
Qualities of organic food have been examined by other authors (Sobczyk, 2000; Szoltysek, 2004). Szoltysek (2004) reported that the consumer who wants to be sure that he/she eats healthily should bear in mind four basic criteria describing food as: healthy and nutritious, primary, fresh and uncontaminated. The first criterion refers to the content of nutrients which determine food quality, the second indicates that food should be as little processed as possible. Food ought to be natural because the more processed - fragmented, preserved, mixed, granulated, heated etc. - a product is the lower its primary value. Studies conducted in the countries where organic farms are in a good position indicate that products of the farms contain more dry matter, vitamins, mineral salts, but less nitrates, free amino acids and other unwanted components. Moreover, their taste and storage properties are better (Sobczyk, 2000).
This study indicated that customers identified organic products on the basis of their opinion, that is they believed that the food offered in organic food shops was reliable, (66%). Less frequently they based their opinion on the label "organic food" placed on the packaging of a product or the certifying body's label (table 6).
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Table 6
Ways of selecting organic food according to the opinion held by the respondents
_Way of food selection__Number of farms__Proportion (%)
Product reliability 4 66 Label "organic food" 2 33 _Certifying body's label__1__16_
According to the organic farmers, a great number of customers trust products sold in organic food shops (100%), supermarkets (83%) as well as organic farms (66%) and the remaining kinds of shops (66%). The food offered on the Internet seems to be least reliable (table 7).
Table 7
Purchase place of organic food in the opinion of the respondents
Food purchase place Number of farms Proportion (%)
Organic food shops 6 100
Supermarkets 5 83
Organic farms 4 66
The remaining shops 4 66
Internet 1 16
Food produced by means of natural methods is gaining more and more popularity. Studies conducted in Germany reported that about 50% people aged over 14 would like to consume natural food, and about 5% go shopping for food in organic food shops on a regular basis and is inclined to pay more for organic products (Luczka-Bakula, 2007).
The owners of organic farms believed that customers choose food products based on their quality (100%), nutritive value and taste (83% for each property) whereas price and packaging are less important (table 8).
Table 8
Criteria of food product selection in the opinion of the respondents
Criterion Number of farms Proportion (%)
Quality 6 100
Nutritive value 5 83
Taste 5 83
Price 2 33
Packaging 1 16
Conclusions
1. Raised awareness of the public is followed by an increased interest of consumers in organic food.
2. The farms under study marketed most potatoes, vegetables and eggs. All the farms directly marketed their products.
3. Most farmers perceived organic food as a specific group of products which are characterised mainly by health qualities, high quality, nutritive value and taste.
4. The studies revealed that organic products are identified based on customers' belief that organic food is reliable when offered in organic food shops.
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5. An increased interest of consumers in organic food is associated with the need of providing information, organising consultancy and training systems for all interested producers, processors and distributor.
References
1. Dyrektywa nr 98/58/EC z 20 lipca 1998 roku o ochronie zwierz^t gospodarskich.
2. Inspektorat Jakosci Handlowej Artykulow Rolno-Spozywczych (IJHAR-S), 2003.
3. Luczka-Bakula W., 2007. Rynek zywnosci ekologicznej, wyznaczniki i uwa-runkowania rozwoju. PWE, Warszawa.
4. Ochrona Srodowiska, 2008, GUS, Warszawa.
5. Ustawa o rolnictwie ekologicznym z dnia 20 kwietnia 2004 roku (Dz.U. Nr 93, poz. 898).
6. Rozporz^dzenie Rady Unii Europejskiej (WE) nr 1804/99 z dnia 19 lipca 1999 roku o zasadach ekologicznej produkcji zwierz^cej odnosnie bydla, trzody chlewnej, owiec, koz, koni i drobiu.
7. Rozporz^dzenie Rady (WE) nr 834/2007 w sprawie produkcji ekologicznej i znakowania produktow ekologicznych.
8. Runowski H., 1999: Stan i uwarunkowania popytu na zywnosc ekologiczn^. w Polsce. Wyd. SGGW, Warszawa.
9. Sobczyk W., 2000: Substancje obce w zywnosci, zywnosc bezpieczna. Wyd. Nauk. Akademii Pedagogicznej, Krakow.
10. Szoltysek K., 2004: Zarys problematyki zywnosci ekologicznej. Wyd. Akademii Ekonomicznej im. Oskara Lanego we Wroclawiu, Wroclaw.
11. Tyburski J., Zakowska-Biemans S., 2007: Wprowadzenie do rolnictwa ekologicznego. Wyd. SGGW, Warszawa.
12. Walczak J., Szewczyk A., 2005: Ekologiczny chow trzody chlewnej. Trzoda Chlewna, 5, 72-79.
13. Zegar J., 2006. Indywidualne gospodarstwa ekologiczne. Mat. Konf. IERiGZ-PIB, Warszawa - Pultusk, 24-32.
14. Zi^ba S., 2008: Rynek zywnosciowych produktow ekologicznych w Polsce. IERiGZ, Warszawa, 87-94.
Summary
The objective of the work was to characterise selected organic farms in terms of the organic food they produce. Studies included six organic farms, either certified or in the conversion period, which operate in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, central Poland. The studies were based on a survey, analyses and interviews conducted with the owners of organic farms.
It was found that the raised awareness of the public increases consumers' interest in organic food. The products marketed at greatest amounts by the farms under study included potatoes, vegetables and eggs. Most farmers perceived organic food as a special group of products which are mainly characterised by health properties, high quality, as well as nutritional value and taste. An increased interest of consumers in organic food is associated with the need of providing information, organising consultancy and training systems for all interested producers, processors and distributor.
Cmammx nadiumna do peda^ii 8.04.2009
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