Directions of changes in polish agriculture and its infrastructure

The current situation and predicted socio-economic, technological and ecological changes, which under the influence of scientific progress, implemented Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and globalied food markets will happen in Polish agriculture and its infrastructure by 2030 are presented in the paper. Owing to the progressive integration with the economy and markets of the European Union (EU), further intensified polarization processes and modernisation of farms is perceived accompanied by restructuring of agriculture, agri-food processing industries, production services, rural supply chains and the other infrastructure in rural areas. The future model of agriculture and agrotechnology is shaping, which is characterized by arable area (AL) diminishing to 12M ha, a decreasing number of family commercial farms and smaller agricultural holdings to 400 thousand, diminishing livestock population and number of farms specializing in commercial production of milk, meat, eggs but also sugar beets, potatoes, vegetable and fruit. Crop yield and animal productivity will increase, so despite diminishing AL and livestock population, both the global production and final output of Polish agriculture will be growing annually by between 0.5 and 1.0%. Quantitative and qualitative increase in plant and livestock production will be taking place accompanied by farms and agricultural enterprises switching to the system of sustainable agriculture (including organic and precision farming) integrated with multifunctional rural development and protection of the natural environment in rural areas. Various forms of mechanization and energy supplies for agricultural production will be used aiming at diminishing its cumulated energy-intensity and lowering unit costs of raw material and food product acquisition. The share of agriculture and rural areas in acquisition and consumption of renewable energy resources (RER) will be increasing. Further progress in agriculture will be dependant on modernization and all-around development of agricultural and rural infrastructure.