Role of farmland afforestation carried out under RDP 2004–2006 in the development of rural areas in Poland

Abstract

The paper offers a spatial analysis of the participation of agricultural holdings in Measure 5 of the Rural Development Programme (RDP), Afforestation of agricultural land, in the years 2004–2006. Taking into account the heterogeneity of rural communes in terms of their afforestation preferences, a delimitation was carried out that served as an indicator of the level of absorption of the Community means under one of the pro-ecological RDP measures. The study showed that those rural communes in which afforestation needs are great and very great (over 15 points) had not made full use of this potential to introduce changes into their farming. Ade-pendence between great afforestation preferences and a high activity of agricultural holdings in acquiring afforestation means and high afforestation intensity was recorded in a mere 3.4% of rural communes of this type, situated largely in the western and northern regions of the country. This can be due, on the one hand, to the afforestation conducted in the previous years (cf. Polna 2006), and on the other, to greater profitability of agricultural production after Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004. An unfavourable development is certainly also intensive afforestation conducted in areas that do not need it (under 10 points). This dependence was observed in 4.7% of rural communes of this type, which suggests that a substantial role in the distribution of farmland afforestation is played by private landowners’ eagerness to implement this measure. Hence, it is important to popularise afforestation policy among farmers, and to raise their ecological awareness.