TY - JOUR T1 - Poland JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 38A LP - 39A VL - 59 IS - 2 AU - J. B. Lipiec AU - S. Krasowicz AU - R. A. Debicki Y1 - 2004/03/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/59/2/38A.abstract N2 - As a result of groundbreaking elections in 1989, governmental transformations put Poland on a course that led to a parliamentary republic and a market economy. These transformations replaced central governmental planning and resulted in more large farms planting row crops (especially cereals), a decrease in the use of fertilizers, and a decrease in cattle and sheep production. At the same time, Poland saw an increase in crop fertilizer use efficiency, an increase in production and quality of milk, and an increase in quality and weight gain efficiency of pigs. In the last fifteen years, the country has also seen advances in soil and atmospheric environmental quality. Agriculture and working the land are important to Poland. In 1999, agriculture covered 18.4 million hectares, 45.5 million acres or 58.8 percent, of Poland's land area (Bialousz, 2000; Krasowicz, 2001). Between 1999 and the present, the amount and distribution of agricultural enterprises within the country have been relatively stable. Much of the agricultural area (46 percent) is in field crops. More than 38 percent of the population lives in rural areas (Jagielinski, 1996; Wieckowski, 1997) and 25 percent work in agriculture (Zietara, 2002). Farm income generally decreased when compared … ER -