OPERATION OF ECOLOGICAL FARMS ON THE EXAPLE OF DISTRICT OF AUGUSTÓW – PROBLEMS OF NATURE, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC

Abstract

Organic farming is a system of agricultural production that allows reconciling economic, social and
environmental functions of agricultural areas, especially those that are characterized by valuable
natural resources and at the same time are devoid of major industrial centers. That is why the
Augustów poviat was selected for research, located in the northern part of the Podlasie Voivodship,
which is characterized by a very large share of legally protected areas, and at the same time from an
economic point of view is included in problem areas. Field research using an interview questionnaire
was carried out in 2017 and covered 55 randomly selected organic farms. Research has shown that
the development of organic farming in this area depends primarily on financial aid addressed to
farmers, greater availability of organic food, introduction of a richer range of products to improve
market organization, and especially distribution channels.