Intensity of Production Organization and Technical Equipment of Polish Agriculture

The work presents the relationship between the intensity of production organization and technical equipment of Polish agriculture. The intensity of production organization was determined using B. Kopeć's indicator method. Updates have been introduced to this method in order to reflect the changes that have occurred in Polish agriculture in the last thirty years. The state of farm mechanization and its changes were determined on the basis of the data collected by the Central Statistical Office (GUS) of Poland. The relationship between agriculture organization intensity and the basic indicators characterizing farm mechanization was analyzed. INTRODUCTION Since intensity is a qualitative phenomenon, it is unmeasurable. The intensity of agriculture organization can be evaluated using a point scale. Such a scale takes into consideration the share of high-input crops in the crop structure, and the number of livestock units per unit of area. One of the methods used for determining agricultural organization intensity is the indicator method developed by B. Kopeć in the 1950s. The first publication presenting this method appeared in 1958 (Kopeć 1958) and the last in 1987 (Kopeć 1987). Kopeć's method is used by numerous Polish authors (Figurski, Lorencowicz 2010; Jankowski, Bieńkowski, Holka 2010; Kluba, Rudnicki, Wiśniewski 2016; Kocira 2009; Kołtun 2014; Kopiński 2009; Lorencowicz 2009; Malaga-Toboła, Kocira 2013; Parafiniuk 2013; Polna 2009; Sawa 2009; Szeląg-Sikora 2008; SzelągSikora, Cupiał, Niemiec 2015; Szuk 2009; Żak 2013), which proves its usefulness. The objective of the research is to determine the relationship between the intensity of production organization and the technical equipment of Polish agriculture. METHODS Over the past twenty years, significant changes, both economic and technological, have occurred in Polish agriculture. There has been a significant increase of cultivated plant yields, an increase of productivity in animal production, as well as changes concerning fertilization and farm mechanization (Tab. 1). Tab. 1. Selected parameters characterizing the changes in Polish agriculture over 1995-2015 Specification Unit 1995 2015 Change 1995-2015 Yield of five basic cereals dt/ha 30.6 37.9 24% Sugar beet yield dt/ha 344 520 51% Potato yield dt/ha 164 210 28% Annual milk yield per one cow thousands of liters 3136 5164 65% Average annual number of eggs per one hen pcs 163 231 42% NPK mineral fertilizers kg/ha 76.6 123.2 61% Utilized agricultural area (UAA) per one tractor ha 13.6 10.2* -25% Installed power of tractors kW/100ha 229.4 416.7* 82% *2013 data. Source: Central Statistical Office of Poland, GUS (1995-2016).