Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The Rural Development Program as an Instrument to Support the Technological Modernization of Agriculture. Lubuskie Case Study

The Rural Development Program as an Instrument to Support the Technological Modernization of... The article deals with the issue of supporting the technological modernization of agriculture by investing in infra- structure surrounding the farms with the use of a financial instrument in the form of the Rural Development Program (RDP) based on the Lubuskie Voivodeship. The article describes, among other things, the importance of infrastructure and support for its development in rural areas in the process of functioning and modernization of the agricultural sector. For the purposes of the article, the data obtained from the Department of Rural Develop- ment Programs of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office on expenditure and effects of RDP use in 2007-2020, in infra- structure investments in rural areas of the Lubuskie Voivodeship was analysed. In the article, the authors at- tempted to present the instrument in the form of the Rural Development Program as a tool for indirect impact on the process of modernization and transformation of agriculture in the Lubuskie Voivodeship, primarily by changing the infrastructural conditions for the functioning and development of agricultural production in rural areas. Key words: economic instruments to support agricultural development, rural development, agricultural econ- omy, modernization of agricultural technologies, agricultural production, rural development pro- gram, agriculture in the EU, sustainable agriculture INTRODUCTION infrastructure in areas where farms operate are of key im- Due to its specific nature, the modernization of the agri- portance. Therefore, this article deals with the issue of cultural production sector plays a key role in the sustain- supporting the modernization of the agricultural sector in able development of the entire national economy. It is the form of infrastructure investments, with the use of an one of the conditions of, among the others, progress and instrument in the form of the Rural Development Pro- improvement of the efficiency of agricultural production gram. For the purposes of the article, a practical example and limitation of unfavourable climate changes generated of the functioning of this tool in the Lubuskie Voivodeship by agriculture. The fundamental issue in stimulating the in 2007-2020 was used. The analysis used data obtained modernization processes in this area is played by the sur- from the Department of Rural Development Programs of rounding infrastructure, located mainly in rural areas the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office. where production takes place. The modernization pro- cesses in the agricultural production sector depend on the MATERIAL AND METHODS level of its development, availability and characteristics. The interest in infrastructure, as a science of importance Infrastructure, however, sets the framework for the func- in the process of economic development, appeared in the tioning of this branch of the economy. Hence, while striv- 1930s. The infrastructural approach has been presented ing to launch its modernization processes, investments in © 2022 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 356 Management Systems in Production Engineering 2022, Volume 30, Issue 4 in many theories of modern economics, such as the Har- water supply networks, connections, water treatment rod-Domar model, which takes into account the increase places. in the level of economic development from the increase – Sewage infrastructure – infrastructure based on sew- in capital productivity [1] but also in other theories of age connections, sewage networks and various types Solow, Romer Barro [2], Lucas or the Rosenstein-Rodan of sewage treatment plants. The development of this push theory. The very importance of infrastructure in re- type of infrastructure contributes to increasing the gional development was, among the others, marked in the protection of the local countryside environment, Treaty of Rome (1957), and the decrees included at the which is one of the most important components of the beginning of the formation of the present European Un- proper functioning of these areas. There are still dif- ion, were strongly oriented in the structural funds and de- ferences between urban and rural areas in terms of scribed as a solid foundation of the entire system [3]. In- water supply networks, therefore, mainly in rural ar- frastructure is one of the most important factors deter- eas, continuous modernization of water supply net- mining the trend in rural development. Its importance is works is carried out [6]. not only visible in the regional context (communes, dis- – Gas pipeline infrastructure – a type of infrastructure tricts), but also sustainable rural development through based on the supply of natural gas for heating and pro- the technological modernization of infrastructure can be duction purposes. This infrastructure includes gas net- seen in the strategic development plans of the country. works and connections, as well as gas transported in The development of infrastructure is mainly to help local cylinders. Most villages in Poland [6] use bottled gas, people in access to sanitary and energy facilities on a con- as the main water supply networks are located mainly tinuous basis, as well as contribute to the development of in areas of larger agglomerations, in southern and transport, information networks and opportunities to use north-western Poland. The settlement breakdown of modern technology. The result of these measures is the the Polish countryside does not allow for economic improvement of the quality of life in rural society with an reasons to allocate the production gas to smaller equal use of natural resources in the agricultural produc- towns, therefore bottled gas is the most popular in ru- tion process [4]. There are many definitions of infrastruc- ral areas. ture in the literature. One of them is the thesis that infra- – Road infrastructure – one of the most important types structure includes all technical and objective factors that of technical infrastructure. It is an element of regional are to ensure continuity in the production of the country’s development and, to a large extent, proper road de- economy. Another, in turn, defines infrastructure as a sys- velopment allows for better functioning of agricultural tem of tools and groups that are to maintain and operate areas. Often, the development index of a particular vil- essential production in specific territorial units [5]. The lage depends to a large extent on its location next to a types of infrastructure that contribute to the develop- particular road infrastructure. Rural areas with diffi- ment of the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Polish cult transport access have a reduced civilization devel- countryside have been presented below. opment index [8]. Their shortage significantly limits the proper functioning – Energy infrastructure – the access to electricity is now of rural areas: the basis for the proper functioning of every citizen. – Construction and production infrastructure – this is a Wide access to electricity and heat allows for correct type of infrastructure based on farm buildings and operation in agricultural plants and proper accessibil- their modern equipment. They are the basis of the ity for the recipients of residential houses. Unfortu- fundamental agricultural production of farms. These nately, electric networks routed as overhead networks are facilities intended for production and at the same still dominate in rural areas, which makes them more time play a supporting role. Without the construction exposed to changes in weather conditions and danger- and production infrastructure, there is no possibility ous phenomena that occur with them. It causes in- for the proper production operation of agricultural creased failure rate and power shortages [6]. Based on and meat products. Proper equipment of facilities and the data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland an appropriate number of buildings facilitate and ac- (GUS), the use of electricity by rural residents in- celerate the production process, and the use of mod- creases every year. Electricity consumption is, on av- ern technology allows for the sustainable develop- erage, higher in rural areas than in cities [6], and trans- ment of agriculture and environmental protection. mission costs, due to the wide dispersion of rural ar- Objects included in the construction and production eas, are much higher than in cities [9]. infrastructure refer to such as piggeries, henhouses, – ICT infrastructure – is a type of infrastructure in which cowsheds, barns, and warehouses [6]. both systems and tools enabling the transmission of – Water infrastructure – this is a type of infrastructure telecommunications and internet data should be that is designed to provide fresh drinking and produc- adopted. They are properly secured and powered, in- tion water to farms and residents. According to the lit- cluding the places of their use [10]. Every year, access erature, it is possible to find information that access to to the Internet among the rural population increases. fresh drinking water is the basis for the proper func- According to data from the Central Statistical Office of tioning of rural areas and contributes to the rapid de- Poland, 84.6% of communities had Internet access in velopment of the countryside [7]. The facilities include L. KAŹMIERCZAK-PIWKO et al. – The Rural Development Program as an Instrument… 357 rural areas in 2019 [11]. Having access to extensive In- ternet information allows for faster transmission of in- formation necessary for the proper functioning of the inhabitants of rural areas. The level of activation of the technical infrastructure in ru- Fig. 2 Rural population using sewage connections ral areas is an important factor in the regional develop- Source: [16]. ment of particular environments. In the last decade, a lot of modernizations have been implemented in Poland in In the use of the water network and sewage network, and rural areas, especially in the field of water and sewage in- access to ICT infrastructure increased by almost 50% dur- frastructure, which increased the attractiveness of rural ing this period (Fig. 3). regions [12] as well as the process of improving the tech- nological level of agriculture in particular territories. This article deals with the issue of supporting the moderniza- tion of the agricultural sector in the form of infrastructure investments, with the use of an instrument in the form of the Rural Development Program. For the purposes of the article, a practical example of the functioning of this tool in the Lubuskie Voivodeship in 2007-2020 was used. The Fig. 3 Rural population using the home Internet analysis used data obtained from the Department of Rural Source: [16]. Development Programs of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office. However, what is the relation between the infrastructural THE ROLE OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL development in the Polish countryside and the technolog- DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE ical development of agriculture? Infrastructure is an indispensable element in agricultural In the case of water infrastructure, an important aspect is production in Poland. The answer to this thesis is, for ex- the cooperation of drainage systems and drainage of wa- ample, the definition of infrastructure in agriculture pro- tercourses to comply with the principle of environmental posed by Jeznach et al. According to them, infrastructure protection. The essence is, among the others, water re- in agriculture is a structural and spatial co-operator in ag- tention so that in periods of high variability of water re- riculture, it does not directly participate in agricultural sources it is possible to use the accumulated water out- production, but is an indispensable factor for the produc- lays. Even small but common retention reservoirs prevent tion system and the Polish market [13]. As a result of the flood risks [17]. deepening disproportions in the 1990s, the European Un- Unfortunately, the level of agricultural land irrigation de- ion Regional Policy adopted as one of the most important creases from year to year, and this is due to rare mainte- factors the improvement of technical infrastructure in ru- nance procedures, due to which technical and drainage ral areas, which was also pointed out by the World Bank, facilities are subject to degradation. In the last decade, on which stated that the increase in the potential of technical average, about 1/3 of agricultural land was drained, which infrastructure in the regions of impoverishment and dis- should give a large percentage of agricultural production persion may bring a strong increase in capital in these ar- due to the mere maintenance of appropriate water man- eas and improve the financial condition of agriculture agement. On the other hand, in proper technical condi- [14]. In Poland, since the accession period, connections tion, the water infrastructure was maintained only on between infrastructure and agricultural production have every second drained hectare or it is maintained at least been searched for. It was noted that there were problems every second year [18]. that needed attention so as not to disrupt the develop- Road infrastructure, as an important factor in the devel- ment of the technical infrastructure at a later stage. These opment of rural areas and agriculture, on the one hand problems included economic, social and scientific catego- should deserve a higher aspect of modernization for agri- ries [15]. The elimination or mitigation of these infrastruc- culture, on the other hand, unfortunately, Polish rural tural problems brings beneficial effects in agriculture to roads do not enjoy a high technological level. In rural ar- this day. eas, where access to agricultural roads and farmlands is In recent years, the condition of infrastructure in Poland difficult, there is a reduced value of technological devel- has improved. This is especially visible in the aspect of wa- opment in agriculture. In the period 2003-2008, there was ter and sewage infrastructure, which from 2007-2013 rec- practically no development of rural roads. The data shows orded an increase of almost 9% (Fig. 1, Fig. 2) [16]. that since 2003, where there were about 200 thousand km of rural roads in the villages, this number increased by only 9 thousand until 2008 [6]. It is also worth mentioning that until 2020 various types of funds were used for road development, including the Rural Development Program. For the years 2016-2019, almost 3,8 billion zlotys was al- located to investments related to the modernization of ru- Fig. 1 Rural population using the water supply network ral roads, of which 1,5 billion zlotys was allocated to local Source: [16]. 358 Management Systems in Production Engineering 2022, Volume 30, Issue 4 roads, and only 625 million zlotys to agricultural roads that the higher the level of development of this branch of with a length of 2,5 thousand kilometres. According to the the economy, the more the scope and services provided evaluation carried out after 2020, it was found that 162 by this infrastructure expand. For instance, at a low level million zlotys was used for 1,6 thousand kilometres of ag- of development of the agricultural economy, it can be ob- ricultural roads [19]. served that the scope of agricultural infrastructure will be Significant amounts of energy are used in agricultural pro- practically the same as the scope of rural infrastructure, st duction. Earlier, at the beginning of the 21 century, agri- so in such a case it is necessary to have, for example, an culture was identified as the main factor in the production efficient power network that would meet the lighting of environmental pollution. It was caused by the use of needs of residents, or a hard surface road network that large amounts of chemicals, monoculture production and would provide constant contact of each town with the intensive agriculture [20]. Currently, the use of agriculture commune. Going further with a higher level of agricultural offers opportunities for both consuming less energy and production and its connection with mechanization, the producing bio-energy. It should only be remembered that, scope of agricultural infrastructure will become wider and in accordance with the principle of sustainable develop- it will go beyond the infrastructure of “villages”. As a re- ment, energy production should use areas other than sult, the mere supply of electricity at its basic level will no those valuable for nature and with a diverse ecosystem. longer be sufficient. Development will then be needed to Since 2013, the consumption of solid fuels has decreased, reach the threshold necessary for production processes. which are mainly replaced with liquid fuels and biofuels As for the paved road network, it will have to be expanded [20]. The energy infrastructure in Polish agriculture is a in such a way that tractors and all agricultural equipment significant factor in agricultural production, but much can reach each field. Then there must be repair bases for more energy is consumed than the average consumption agricultural equipment, garages, petrol stations, fertilizer in the European Union. On average, agriculture in Poland warehouses, silos, granaries, elevators, sewage treatment produces about 2.5% with the consumption of about 6% plants, etc. It is crucial, because nowadays all these de- of energy, while in the EU it is on average 3%. Also, the vices determine the modern production process in agri- cost of energy input on agriculture is higher than in the culture. The lack or underdevelopment of the agricultural EU. Another problem is the large power supply discrep- infrastructure may become a factor that will not allow any ancy or the often unstable connections. A chance for the introduction of technical progress in agriculture [22]. technological development of agriculture are therefore It is widely known that the more primitive agriculture is, small reactors based on bio-fuels from animal and plant the more it does not require many of the above-men- production; the use of renewable energy sources in the tioned devices or infrastructure facilities to be able to form of wind power plants based on the movement of air function on a basic level. Taking into account agriculture waves and using the vibration-membrane method. They that is developing and already developed at an almost ad- take up much less space, and also do not require very vanced level, it must be remembered that it has to be con- large gusts of air to set the wind pole in motion. The price stantly provided with services for many such institutions, of this type of alternative for solid and liquid energy facilities or devices. Therefore, it should be recognized sources is competitive insofar as with the use of low finan- that the scope of this infrastructure should be increased, cial outlays, it is possible to gain an efficient system of ob- at least in proportion to the development of agriculture, taining energy [21] and thus reducing costs for future ag- but by default it should precede this development. The ricultural inputs. proper functioning of the technical infrastructure de- pends on the correct course of the production process of PROBLEMS OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF AG- agriculture and its efficiency, and hence the infrastructure RICULTURE performs important economic tasks in relation to agricul- The spectrum of issues related to the problems of the re- ture [23]. construction of Polish agriculture, in its technical and so- The examples relating to the importance of infrastructure cial dimensions, is very broad. It includes the entirety of in the technological development of agriculture can be the topics related to the transformation of the already seen in the following situations, which include, for exam- well-established pattern of agricultural functioning, i.e. ple [23]: working and living conditions of rural residents (in partic- – The lack of roads and transport can mean that deliver- ular those employed in agriculture). It also covers matters ies of agricultural products may be delayed or not that are closely related to modern agricultural production, reach consumption or processing at all. In addition, the production base of agriculture, its development the poor condition of roads contributes to the much trends, and the issues of technical and organizational pro- earlier wear and tear of mechanical means of gress. It should be emphasized here that such reconstruc- transport, which is directly connected to a greater fi- tion of agriculture cannot omit the issues related to the nancial outlay related to the need to pay for repairs or evolution of the ownership structure, as well as the forms more frequent refuelling associated with higher fuel of management, financing and crediting of this branch of consumption. the national economy that depend on it [22]. – Interruptions in the supply of electricity may lead to a The challenge is to try to define a specific framework for situation in which the biological and technological cy- agricultural infrastructure. This is mainly due to the fact cle in the agricultural infrastructure will be disrupted, L. KAŹMIERCZAK-PIWKO et al. – The Rural Development Program as an Instrument… 359 which will have a direct impact on work in both live- Units (82 communes and 14 districts) had 124 million eu- stock and agricultural production. ros in the years 2007-2013 [25] and 101,5 million euros – The problem with water aspects may have an impact for the years 2014-2020 [26] which gives an average of on the agricultural and life infrastructure of the inhab- over 2 million euros per commune or district in the last 10 itants, due to the lack of drinking water, which trans- years. lates directly into proper functioning [7]. As indicated by the source data, available at the Depart- – The failure of construction and production infrastruc- ment of Rural Development Programs of the Lubuskie ture (which includes, among the others, piggeries, Marshal’s Office – communes and districts can be divided henhouses, cowsheds, barns, warehouses, and which into “more” and “less” active in obtaining funds available constitute the basis of the fundamental agricultural under the RDP. This was influenced not only by the activity production of farms), may be a problem in the proper of individual authorities or poor preparation of technical production functioning of agricultural and meat prod- documentation, but also by the criteria on the basis of ucts. Proper equipment of facilities, as well as an ap- which points were awarded in the announced competi- propriate number of buildings facilitate and accelerate tions, such as, for example, the basic tax income of the the production process. On the other hand, the use of commune or the average unemployment rate in the dis- modern technology allows for the sustainable devel- trict [27]. When analysing individual regulations of the opment of agriculture and environmental protection Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, it can be [6]. concluded that the Ministry gives more incentives to mu- It should be remembered that despite the involvement of nicipalities with a worse economic situation, which means significant funds in the development of rural technical in- that they have a greater chance of obtaining funding for frastructure and the achievement of some modernization water and sewage operations or the construction or mod- progress, many elements subordinate to the technical in- ernization of local roads. frastructure in rural areas may leave a lot to be desired. For example, the poorly developed technical infrastruc- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ture in the countryside will constitute one of the most se- In the years 2007-2020, as part of the Rural Development rious, if not the most serious, barriers to the multifunc- Program, over 225 million euros was allocated to the mu- tional development of rural areas. This may translate di- nicipalities of the Lubuskie Voivodeship. rectly into unfavourable living or working conditions in the Table 1 countryside, and also lead to a reduction in the attractive- List of investments implemented under the Rural ness of these areas for potential investors. Additionally, Development Program in 2007–2020 the insufficient level of infrastructure equipment may TYPE OF INVESTMENT INDICATOR pose a threat to the degradation of the natural environ- water supply and sewage networks 600 km ment. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the tech- home sewage treatment plants 1500 nological development of agricultural infrastructure so construction/reconstruction of local roads 110 km that various types of failures or other problems, having a construction/reconstruction of village clubs 300 direct or indirect impact on the role of this infrastructure, renovation of churches 50 cannot occur or occur very rarely [6]. sports facilities 200 Source: own study based on the data of the Department of Rural THE SOURCES OF FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE IN RU- Development Programs of the Marshal’s Office of the Lubuskie RAL AREAS Voivodeship – as of 31.12.2021. The main source of financing infrastructure in rural areas is the Rural Development Program. In recent years, we Taking into account the fact that the number of inhabit- have witnessed the expansion of water and sewage, road ants of the Lubuskie Voivodeship is almost 1 million [28] and other infrastructure – such as village clubs, market- it is 225 euros per capita. The amounts referred to above places, melioration and land consolidation. The European do not include funds intended for direct payments to Union’s rural development policy was introduced as the farmers, which are also an element of the Rural Develop- second pillar of the CAP during the “Agenda 2000” reform. ment Program. It is financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural The enormity of infrastructure investments implemented Development (EAFRD). This fund is intended to contribute under the Rural Development Program is visible in every to the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy (the commune of Lubuskie province. This is evidenced by in- Union’s strategy for growth and jobs) by promoting sus- formation boards on individual investments, because it is tainable development in rural areas. The EAFRD contrib- the beneficiary’s duty to inform about the aid received utes to the development of an agricultural sector that is from the European Union, including EAFRD and the Rural territorially and environmentally sustainable, climate- Development Program [29]. Within these millions of eu- friendly and resilient to climate change, as well as com- ros, not only new elements of infrastructure were cre- petitive and innovative [24]. ated, but the contractors of these operations were enti- In the case of the Lubuskie Voivodeship – under the Rural ties from the Lubuskie economy, providing construction, Development Program, the Territorial Self-Government water and sewage and road services, which had a positive 360 Management Systems in Production Engineering 2022, Volume 30, Issue 4 impact on the development of these entities. The devel- result of the introduced qualitative and quantitative opment of this infrastructure also influenced the agricul- changes, created the possibility of applying new or signif- ture of Lubuskie province. Melioration operations have icantly improved solutions in agricultural production in a permanently improved the agricultural production capac- particular area. ity of the soil. On the other hand, land consolidation al- lowed eliminating the breakdown of individual farms into REFERENCES [1] A. H. Gardner, Economic Growth: The Problem of Capital small plots of various shapes and sizes, often located at a Accumulation, Macroeconomic Theory, The Macmillan considerable distance (checkerboard of fields), and creat- Company, New York 1961, pp. 505-535. ing farms with a compact area without changing the own- [2] R. J. Barro, Sala-i-Martin X., Economic Growth, The MIT ership structure (but usually taking into account soil valu- Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts) 2003; Rosenstein- ation, which modifies this structure), which enables ra- Rodan P.N., Uwagi o teorii „wielkiego pchnięcia”, tional farming [30]. Construction and modernization of lo- Ekonomista, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, nr 2, cal roads increases road safety, and water and sewerage Warszawa 1959, pp. 360-369; Romer P.M., Endogenous operations increase the quality of life of the inhabitants. Technological Change, Journal of Political Economy, Uni- Despite many investments and millions of euros spent on versity of Chicago Press, Vol. 98, No. 5, Chicago 1990, pp. 71-102. them, village heads and mayors still report a great need [3] M. Dolata, Znaczenie infrastruktury w koncepcji trwałego i for financial resources for water, sewage and road opera- zrównoważonego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich, Studia i tions. The percentage of people using the water supply Prace Wydziału Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania, Uni- system in the Lubuskie region is 94.6%, and that of the wersytet Szczeciński, nr 40, t. 2, Szczecin 2015, p. 47. sewage system – 74.1% of the total population of the voi- [4] K. Krukowski, Rozwój zrównoważony w strategiach gmin vodeship. And despite the millions of investments, there wiejskich, Roczniki Naukowe Stowarzyszenia Ekonomistów are still significant needs in this area. An example is the Rolnictwa i Agrobiznesu, t. 2, Zamość 2000, p. 82 Zwierzyn Commune, where only the first kilometre of the [5] W. Chudy, Infrastruktura techniczna a rozwój turystyki w water supply network is being built, and the degree of the gminach wiejskich województwa małopolskiego, Infra- struktura i Ekologia Terenów Wiejskich, Polska Akademia water supply system until recently was 0% [31]. Nauk Oddział w Krakowie, Komisja Technicznej Infrastruk- tury Wsi, Kraków 2008, pp. 53-61. CONCLUSION [6] E. Berkowska, H. Rasz, D. Stankiewicz, Infrastruktura tech- Infrastructure development is the basis for modernization niczna wsi, Studia BAS, nr 4 (24), Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, processes in the agricultural sector. Without appropriate Warszawa 2010, pp. 181-188 and 212. infrastructure conditions, it becomes impossible to imple- [7] W. Chudy, Rozwój infrastruktury obszarów wiejskich, Infra- ment process, product or organizational innovations in struktura i Ekologia Terenów Wiejskich, Polska Akademia agricultural production. The available infrastructure de- Nauk Oddział w Krakowie, Komisja Technicznej Infrastruk- termines the possibilities of agriculture development, its tury Wsi, nr 10, Kraków 2011, p. 100. [8] M. Tomaszewski, Infrastruktura techniczna jako czynnik progress and directions of technological modernization. poprawiający warunki życia w wiejskich gospodarstwach Summarizing the role of the RDP instrument in the tech- domowych, Prace Naukowe Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa nological modernization of agriculture described in this Wiejskiego. Wydział Ekonomiczno-Rolniczy. Katedra Poli- article based on the Lubuskie Voivodeship in 2007-2020, tyki Agrarnej i Marketingu, nr 33, Szczecin 2004, pp. 266- it should be emphasized that this program was an indirect tool conditioning the processes of progressive changes. By [9] MRiRW, Informacja o stanie infrastruktury technicznej wsi characterizing its impact in this period, its impact can be – raport roczny 2009, Warszawa 2010. described as complementary and stimulating for modern- [10] M. Kowalewski i inni, Infrastruktura Teleinformatyczna ization and transformation processes. Based on the anal- Państwa, Instytut Łączności Państwowy Instytut Badaw- czy, Zakład Zastosowań Technik Łączności Elektronicznej, ysis of the data of the Department of Rural Development Warszawa 2008, pp. 12-13. Programs of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office, it is easy to no- [11] M. Orczykowska Społeczeństwo informacyjne w Polsce w tice that in the analysed period its impact on the modern- 2019 r., Główny Urząd Statystyczny, ization processes of Lubuskie agriculture concerned https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/nauka-i-technika- mainly the development of technical infrastructure sys- spoleczenstwo-informacyjne/spoleczenstwo-informa- tems, which are a necessary condition to start the mod- cyjne/spoleczenstwo-informacyjne-w-polsce-w-2019- ernization process and technological progress. In the roku,2,9.html, pp. 1-2 [accessed: 19.03.2022]. years 2007-2020, this instrument undoubtedly contrib- [12] L. Kłos, Wpływ infrastruktury technicznej na atrakcyjność uted to the improvement of the infrastructural conditions obszarów wiejskich, Studia i Prace Wydziału Nauk Ekono- micznych i Zarządzania, Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Nr 25, surrounding the field in the form of, among other things, Szczecin 2012, pp. 183-189. construction of 600 km of water supply and sewage sys- [13] M. Jeznach i inni, Potrzeby kształtowania infrastruktury tems, construction and reconstruction of 110 km of roads. wsi na terenach chronionych, a rozwój gospodarczy gmin Thus, improving the acceleration functions of the infra- kampinoskich, Zeszyty Naukowe AR Krak, nr 377, Kraków structure in the development of the agricultural sector. 2001, p. 451. These investments undoubtedly contributed to the im- provement of conditions for the growth and functioning of agriculture, and their pro-modernization impact, as a L. KAŹMIERCZAK-PIWKO et al. – The Rural Development Program as an Instrument… 361 [14] J. Wilkin, Obszary wiejskie w polityce rozwoju gospodar- [21] Vortex Bladeless, First wind turbine without blades nor czego Polski, Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne, FAPA, Ko- gears, https://vortexbladeless.com/technology-design/, mitet Ekonomiki Rolnictwa Państwowej Akademii Nauk, [accessed: 27.02.2022]. Warszawa 1996, p. 32. [22] K. Wilczyńska, Infrastruktura wsi i rolnictwa. Próba definicji [15] K. Wierzbicki, K. Krajewski Kierunki rozwoju infrastruktury Poznań 1983, Ruch prawniczy, ekonomiczny i socjolo- technicznej obszarów wiejskich w Polsce, Woda-Środowi- giczny, Rok XLV, zeszyt 2, 1983, pp. 157 and 161. sko-Obszary Wiejskie, Wydawnictwo IMUZ, t. 4, z. 2b(12), [23] S. Ogrodnik, Infrastruktura techniczna a produkcja rolna: Raszyn 2004, pp. 9-20. w zarysie, ss. 259-260 i 263 [w:] Annales Universitatis Ma- [16] Ministerstwo Rozwoju i Rolnictwa, Rolnictwo i obszary rie Curie-Sklodowska Lublin. Polonia vol. XXIX/XXX, 16 SEC- wiejskie w latach 2007-2015, Warszawa 2015, TIO H 1995/1996, Zakład Gospodarki Żywnościowej Wy- https://www.dodr.pl › dodr › ogloszenia › 102015, pp. 30- działu Ekonomicznego UMCS. 32 [accessed: 20.03.2022]. [24] European Union, The second pillar of the CAP: Rural Devel- [17] E. Pierzgalski, Zasoby wodne a rozwój rolnictwa, Studia i opment Policy – Information documents on the, 2017. raporty IUNG-PIB, 2010, z. 19 [25] Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- [18] E. Kaca, Diagnoza z elementami prognozy stanu odwod- opment of 25 January 2013 (Journal of Laws of 2013, item nień i nawodnień użytków rolnych, Średnio i długookre- 119). sowe programy rozwoju melioracji w skali kraju i woje- [26] Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- wództw, z uwzględnieniem potrzeb rolnictwa, możliwości opment of April 21, 2022 (item 922). realizacyjnych i skutków środowiskowych, Falenty 2014, [27] Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- https://www.itp.edu.pl/old /nauka/produktypw/Pro- opment of March 2, 2022 (item 564). gramy %20rozwoju %20melioracji.pdf, pp. 19-23 [acces- [28] https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojew%C3%B3dztwo_lu- sed: 24.03.2022]. buskie as of 15.05.2022. [19] J. Komża, Obszary wiejskie: infrastruktura drogowa, Dzien- [29] Annex III of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) nik warto wiedzieć, 2017, https://wartowiedziec.pl/roz- No 808/2014 of 17 July 2014. woj-i-fundusze/41743-obszary-wiejskie-infrastruktura- [30] https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/;3972846 as of drogowa [accessed: 27.03.2022]. 15.05.2022. [20] M. Woźniak, Zrównoważona gospodarka energetyczna na [31] Data of the Statistical Office in Zielona Góra, as of Decem- obszarach wiejskich w Polsce, Polityka Energetyczna, z. 1, ber 31, 2021. t. 21, Warszawa 2018, pp. 69-84. Leszek Kaźmierczak-Piwko ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4460-7018 University of Zielona Gora Faculty of Economics and Management 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland e-mail: l.kazmierczak@wez.uz.zgora.pl Arkadiusz Dąbrowski Marshal Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship Department of Rural Development Programme al. Zjednoczenia 104A, 65-120 Zielona Góra, Poland e-mail: a.dabrowski@lubuskie.pl Radosław Janiak University of Zielona Gora e-mail: Janiakus91@gmail.com Patrycja Świstak University of Zielona Gora e-mail: p.swistak96@wp.pl http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Management Systems in Production Engineering de Gruyter

The Rural Development Program as an Instrument to Support the Technological Modernization of Agriculture. Lubuskie Case Study

Loading next page...
 
/lp/de-gruyter/the-rural-development-program-as-an-instrument-to-support-the-n0saot2YbJ

References (34)

Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
© 2022 Leszek Kaźmierczak-Piwko et al., published by Sciendo
eISSN
2450-5781
DOI
10.2478/mspe-2022-0045
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of supporting the technological modernization of agriculture by investing in infra- structure surrounding the farms with the use of a financial instrument in the form of the Rural Development Program (RDP) based on the Lubuskie Voivodeship. The article describes, among other things, the importance of infrastructure and support for its development in rural areas in the process of functioning and modernization of the agricultural sector. For the purposes of the article, the data obtained from the Department of Rural Develop- ment Programs of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office on expenditure and effects of RDP use in 2007-2020, in infra- structure investments in rural areas of the Lubuskie Voivodeship was analysed. In the article, the authors at- tempted to present the instrument in the form of the Rural Development Program as a tool for indirect impact on the process of modernization and transformation of agriculture in the Lubuskie Voivodeship, primarily by changing the infrastructural conditions for the functioning and development of agricultural production in rural areas. Key words: economic instruments to support agricultural development, rural development, agricultural econ- omy, modernization of agricultural technologies, agricultural production, rural development pro- gram, agriculture in the EU, sustainable agriculture INTRODUCTION infrastructure in areas where farms operate are of key im- Due to its specific nature, the modernization of the agri- portance. Therefore, this article deals with the issue of cultural production sector plays a key role in the sustain- supporting the modernization of the agricultural sector in able development of the entire national economy. It is the form of infrastructure investments, with the use of an one of the conditions of, among the others, progress and instrument in the form of the Rural Development Pro- improvement of the efficiency of agricultural production gram. For the purposes of the article, a practical example and limitation of unfavourable climate changes generated of the functioning of this tool in the Lubuskie Voivodeship by agriculture. The fundamental issue in stimulating the in 2007-2020 was used. The analysis used data obtained modernization processes in this area is played by the sur- from the Department of Rural Development Programs of rounding infrastructure, located mainly in rural areas the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office. where production takes place. The modernization pro- cesses in the agricultural production sector depend on the MATERIAL AND METHODS level of its development, availability and characteristics. The interest in infrastructure, as a science of importance Infrastructure, however, sets the framework for the func- in the process of economic development, appeared in the tioning of this branch of the economy. Hence, while striv- 1930s. The infrastructural approach has been presented ing to launch its modernization processes, investments in © 2022 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 356 Management Systems in Production Engineering 2022, Volume 30, Issue 4 in many theories of modern economics, such as the Har- water supply networks, connections, water treatment rod-Domar model, which takes into account the increase places. in the level of economic development from the increase – Sewage infrastructure – infrastructure based on sew- in capital productivity [1] but also in other theories of age connections, sewage networks and various types Solow, Romer Barro [2], Lucas or the Rosenstein-Rodan of sewage treatment plants. The development of this push theory. The very importance of infrastructure in re- type of infrastructure contributes to increasing the gional development was, among the others, marked in the protection of the local countryside environment, Treaty of Rome (1957), and the decrees included at the which is one of the most important components of the beginning of the formation of the present European Un- proper functioning of these areas. There are still dif- ion, were strongly oriented in the structural funds and de- ferences between urban and rural areas in terms of scribed as a solid foundation of the entire system [3]. In- water supply networks, therefore, mainly in rural ar- frastructure is one of the most important factors deter- eas, continuous modernization of water supply net- mining the trend in rural development. Its importance is works is carried out [6]. not only visible in the regional context (communes, dis- – Gas pipeline infrastructure – a type of infrastructure tricts), but also sustainable rural development through based on the supply of natural gas for heating and pro- the technological modernization of infrastructure can be duction purposes. This infrastructure includes gas net- seen in the strategic development plans of the country. works and connections, as well as gas transported in The development of infrastructure is mainly to help local cylinders. Most villages in Poland [6] use bottled gas, people in access to sanitary and energy facilities on a con- as the main water supply networks are located mainly tinuous basis, as well as contribute to the development of in areas of larger agglomerations, in southern and transport, information networks and opportunities to use north-western Poland. The settlement breakdown of modern technology. The result of these measures is the the Polish countryside does not allow for economic improvement of the quality of life in rural society with an reasons to allocate the production gas to smaller equal use of natural resources in the agricultural produc- towns, therefore bottled gas is the most popular in ru- tion process [4]. There are many definitions of infrastruc- ral areas. ture in the literature. One of them is the thesis that infra- – Road infrastructure – one of the most important types structure includes all technical and objective factors that of technical infrastructure. It is an element of regional are to ensure continuity in the production of the country’s development and, to a large extent, proper road de- economy. Another, in turn, defines infrastructure as a sys- velopment allows for better functioning of agricultural tem of tools and groups that are to maintain and operate areas. Often, the development index of a particular vil- essential production in specific territorial units [5]. The lage depends to a large extent on its location next to a types of infrastructure that contribute to the develop- particular road infrastructure. Rural areas with diffi- ment of the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Polish cult transport access have a reduced civilization devel- countryside have been presented below. opment index [8]. Their shortage significantly limits the proper functioning – Energy infrastructure – the access to electricity is now of rural areas: the basis for the proper functioning of every citizen. – Construction and production infrastructure – this is a Wide access to electricity and heat allows for correct type of infrastructure based on farm buildings and operation in agricultural plants and proper accessibil- their modern equipment. They are the basis of the ity for the recipients of residential houses. Unfortu- fundamental agricultural production of farms. These nately, electric networks routed as overhead networks are facilities intended for production and at the same still dominate in rural areas, which makes them more time play a supporting role. Without the construction exposed to changes in weather conditions and danger- and production infrastructure, there is no possibility ous phenomena that occur with them. It causes in- for the proper production operation of agricultural creased failure rate and power shortages [6]. Based on and meat products. Proper equipment of facilities and the data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland an appropriate number of buildings facilitate and ac- (GUS), the use of electricity by rural residents in- celerate the production process, and the use of mod- creases every year. Electricity consumption is, on av- ern technology allows for the sustainable develop- erage, higher in rural areas than in cities [6], and trans- ment of agriculture and environmental protection. mission costs, due to the wide dispersion of rural ar- Objects included in the construction and production eas, are much higher than in cities [9]. infrastructure refer to such as piggeries, henhouses, – ICT infrastructure – is a type of infrastructure in which cowsheds, barns, and warehouses [6]. both systems and tools enabling the transmission of – Water infrastructure – this is a type of infrastructure telecommunications and internet data should be that is designed to provide fresh drinking and produc- adopted. They are properly secured and powered, in- tion water to farms and residents. According to the lit- cluding the places of their use [10]. Every year, access erature, it is possible to find information that access to to the Internet among the rural population increases. fresh drinking water is the basis for the proper func- According to data from the Central Statistical Office of tioning of rural areas and contributes to the rapid de- Poland, 84.6% of communities had Internet access in velopment of the countryside [7]. The facilities include L. KAŹMIERCZAK-PIWKO et al. – The Rural Development Program as an Instrument… 357 rural areas in 2019 [11]. Having access to extensive In- ternet information allows for faster transmission of in- formation necessary for the proper functioning of the inhabitants of rural areas. The level of activation of the technical infrastructure in ru- Fig. 2 Rural population using sewage connections ral areas is an important factor in the regional develop- Source: [16]. ment of particular environments. In the last decade, a lot of modernizations have been implemented in Poland in In the use of the water network and sewage network, and rural areas, especially in the field of water and sewage in- access to ICT infrastructure increased by almost 50% dur- frastructure, which increased the attractiveness of rural ing this period (Fig. 3). regions [12] as well as the process of improving the tech- nological level of agriculture in particular territories. This article deals with the issue of supporting the moderniza- tion of the agricultural sector in the form of infrastructure investments, with the use of an instrument in the form of the Rural Development Program. For the purposes of the article, a practical example of the functioning of this tool in the Lubuskie Voivodeship in 2007-2020 was used. The Fig. 3 Rural population using the home Internet analysis used data obtained from the Department of Rural Source: [16]. Development Programs of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office. However, what is the relation between the infrastructural THE ROLE OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL development in the Polish countryside and the technolog- DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE ical development of agriculture? Infrastructure is an indispensable element in agricultural In the case of water infrastructure, an important aspect is production in Poland. The answer to this thesis is, for ex- the cooperation of drainage systems and drainage of wa- ample, the definition of infrastructure in agriculture pro- tercourses to comply with the principle of environmental posed by Jeznach et al. According to them, infrastructure protection. The essence is, among the others, water re- in agriculture is a structural and spatial co-operator in ag- tention so that in periods of high variability of water re- riculture, it does not directly participate in agricultural sources it is possible to use the accumulated water out- production, but is an indispensable factor for the produc- lays. Even small but common retention reservoirs prevent tion system and the Polish market [13]. As a result of the flood risks [17]. deepening disproportions in the 1990s, the European Un- Unfortunately, the level of agricultural land irrigation de- ion Regional Policy adopted as one of the most important creases from year to year, and this is due to rare mainte- factors the improvement of technical infrastructure in ru- nance procedures, due to which technical and drainage ral areas, which was also pointed out by the World Bank, facilities are subject to degradation. In the last decade, on which stated that the increase in the potential of technical average, about 1/3 of agricultural land was drained, which infrastructure in the regions of impoverishment and dis- should give a large percentage of agricultural production persion may bring a strong increase in capital in these ar- due to the mere maintenance of appropriate water man- eas and improve the financial condition of agriculture agement. On the other hand, in proper technical condi- [14]. In Poland, since the accession period, connections tion, the water infrastructure was maintained only on between infrastructure and agricultural production have every second drained hectare or it is maintained at least been searched for. It was noted that there were problems every second year [18]. that needed attention so as not to disrupt the develop- Road infrastructure, as an important factor in the devel- ment of the technical infrastructure at a later stage. These opment of rural areas and agriculture, on the one hand problems included economic, social and scientific catego- should deserve a higher aspect of modernization for agri- ries [15]. The elimination or mitigation of these infrastruc- culture, on the other hand, unfortunately, Polish rural tural problems brings beneficial effects in agriculture to roads do not enjoy a high technological level. In rural ar- this day. eas, where access to agricultural roads and farmlands is In recent years, the condition of infrastructure in Poland difficult, there is a reduced value of technological devel- has improved. This is especially visible in the aspect of wa- opment in agriculture. In the period 2003-2008, there was ter and sewage infrastructure, which from 2007-2013 rec- practically no development of rural roads. The data shows orded an increase of almost 9% (Fig. 1, Fig. 2) [16]. that since 2003, where there were about 200 thousand km of rural roads in the villages, this number increased by only 9 thousand until 2008 [6]. It is also worth mentioning that until 2020 various types of funds were used for road development, including the Rural Development Program. For the years 2016-2019, almost 3,8 billion zlotys was al- located to investments related to the modernization of ru- Fig. 1 Rural population using the water supply network ral roads, of which 1,5 billion zlotys was allocated to local Source: [16]. 358 Management Systems in Production Engineering 2022, Volume 30, Issue 4 roads, and only 625 million zlotys to agricultural roads that the higher the level of development of this branch of with a length of 2,5 thousand kilometres. According to the the economy, the more the scope and services provided evaluation carried out after 2020, it was found that 162 by this infrastructure expand. For instance, at a low level million zlotys was used for 1,6 thousand kilometres of ag- of development of the agricultural economy, it can be ob- ricultural roads [19]. served that the scope of agricultural infrastructure will be Significant amounts of energy are used in agricultural pro- practically the same as the scope of rural infrastructure, st duction. Earlier, at the beginning of the 21 century, agri- so in such a case it is necessary to have, for example, an culture was identified as the main factor in the production efficient power network that would meet the lighting of environmental pollution. It was caused by the use of needs of residents, or a hard surface road network that large amounts of chemicals, monoculture production and would provide constant contact of each town with the intensive agriculture [20]. Currently, the use of agriculture commune. Going further with a higher level of agricultural offers opportunities for both consuming less energy and production and its connection with mechanization, the producing bio-energy. It should only be remembered that, scope of agricultural infrastructure will become wider and in accordance with the principle of sustainable develop- it will go beyond the infrastructure of “villages”. As a re- ment, energy production should use areas other than sult, the mere supply of electricity at its basic level will no those valuable for nature and with a diverse ecosystem. longer be sufficient. Development will then be needed to Since 2013, the consumption of solid fuels has decreased, reach the threshold necessary for production processes. which are mainly replaced with liquid fuels and biofuels As for the paved road network, it will have to be expanded [20]. The energy infrastructure in Polish agriculture is a in such a way that tractors and all agricultural equipment significant factor in agricultural production, but much can reach each field. Then there must be repair bases for more energy is consumed than the average consumption agricultural equipment, garages, petrol stations, fertilizer in the European Union. On average, agriculture in Poland warehouses, silos, granaries, elevators, sewage treatment produces about 2.5% with the consumption of about 6% plants, etc. It is crucial, because nowadays all these de- of energy, while in the EU it is on average 3%. Also, the vices determine the modern production process in agri- cost of energy input on agriculture is higher than in the culture. The lack or underdevelopment of the agricultural EU. Another problem is the large power supply discrep- infrastructure may become a factor that will not allow any ancy or the often unstable connections. A chance for the introduction of technical progress in agriculture [22]. technological development of agriculture are therefore It is widely known that the more primitive agriculture is, small reactors based on bio-fuels from animal and plant the more it does not require many of the above-men- production; the use of renewable energy sources in the tioned devices or infrastructure facilities to be able to form of wind power plants based on the movement of air function on a basic level. Taking into account agriculture waves and using the vibration-membrane method. They that is developing and already developed at an almost ad- take up much less space, and also do not require very vanced level, it must be remembered that it has to be con- large gusts of air to set the wind pole in motion. The price stantly provided with services for many such institutions, of this type of alternative for solid and liquid energy facilities or devices. Therefore, it should be recognized sources is competitive insofar as with the use of low finan- that the scope of this infrastructure should be increased, cial outlays, it is possible to gain an efficient system of ob- at least in proportion to the development of agriculture, taining energy [21] and thus reducing costs for future ag- but by default it should precede this development. The ricultural inputs. proper functioning of the technical infrastructure de- pends on the correct course of the production process of PROBLEMS OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF AG- agriculture and its efficiency, and hence the infrastructure RICULTURE performs important economic tasks in relation to agricul- The spectrum of issues related to the problems of the re- ture [23]. construction of Polish agriculture, in its technical and so- The examples relating to the importance of infrastructure cial dimensions, is very broad. It includes the entirety of in the technological development of agriculture can be the topics related to the transformation of the already seen in the following situations, which include, for exam- well-established pattern of agricultural functioning, i.e. ple [23]: working and living conditions of rural residents (in partic- – The lack of roads and transport can mean that deliver- ular those employed in agriculture). It also covers matters ies of agricultural products may be delayed or not that are closely related to modern agricultural production, reach consumption or processing at all. In addition, the production base of agriculture, its development the poor condition of roads contributes to the much trends, and the issues of technical and organizational pro- earlier wear and tear of mechanical means of gress. It should be emphasized here that such reconstruc- transport, which is directly connected to a greater fi- tion of agriculture cannot omit the issues related to the nancial outlay related to the need to pay for repairs or evolution of the ownership structure, as well as the forms more frequent refuelling associated with higher fuel of management, financing and crediting of this branch of consumption. the national economy that depend on it [22]. – Interruptions in the supply of electricity may lead to a The challenge is to try to define a specific framework for situation in which the biological and technological cy- agricultural infrastructure. This is mainly due to the fact cle in the agricultural infrastructure will be disrupted, L. KAŹMIERCZAK-PIWKO et al. – The Rural Development Program as an Instrument… 359 which will have a direct impact on work in both live- Units (82 communes and 14 districts) had 124 million eu- stock and agricultural production. ros in the years 2007-2013 [25] and 101,5 million euros – The problem with water aspects may have an impact for the years 2014-2020 [26] which gives an average of on the agricultural and life infrastructure of the inhab- over 2 million euros per commune or district in the last 10 itants, due to the lack of drinking water, which trans- years. lates directly into proper functioning [7]. As indicated by the source data, available at the Depart- – The failure of construction and production infrastruc- ment of Rural Development Programs of the Lubuskie ture (which includes, among the others, piggeries, Marshal’s Office – communes and districts can be divided henhouses, cowsheds, barns, warehouses, and which into “more” and “less” active in obtaining funds available constitute the basis of the fundamental agricultural under the RDP. This was influenced not only by the activity production of farms), may be a problem in the proper of individual authorities or poor preparation of technical production functioning of agricultural and meat prod- documentation, but also by the criteria on the basis of ucts. Proper equipment of facilities, as well as an ap- which points were awarded in the announced competi- propriate number of buildings facilitate and accelerate tions, such as, for example, the basic tax income of the the production process. On the other hand, the use of commune or the average unemployment rate in the dis- modern technology allows for the sustainable devel- trict [27]. When analysing individual regulations of the opment of agriculture and environmental protection Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, it can be [6]. concluded that the Ministry gives more incentives to mu- It should be remembered that despite the involvement of nicipalities with a worse economic situation, which means significant funds in the development of rural technical in- that they have a greater chance of obtaining funding for frastructure and the achievement of some modernization water and sewage operations or the construction or mod- progress, many elements subordinate to the technical in- ernization of local roads. frastructure in rural areas may leave a lot to be desired. For example, the poorly developed technical infrastruc- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ture in the countryside will constitute one of the most se- In the years 2007-2020, as part of the Rural Development rious, if not the most serious, barriers to the multifunc- Program, over 225 million euros was allocated to the mu- tional development of rural areas. This may translate di- nicipalities of the Lubuskie Voivodeship. rectly into unfavourable living or working conditions in the Table 1 countryside, and also lead to a reduction in the attractive- List of investments implemented under the Rural ness of these areas for potential investors. Additionally, Development Program in 2007–2020 the insufficient level of infrastructure equipment may TYPE OF INVESTMENT INDICATOR pose a threat to the degradation of the natural environ- water supply and sewage networks 600 km ment. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the tech- home sewage treatment plants 1500 nological development of agricultural infrastructure so construction/reconstruction of local roads 110 km that various types of failures or other problems, having a construction/reconstruction of village clubs 300 direct or indirect impact on the role of this infrastructure, renovation of churches 50 cannot occur or occur very rarely [6]. sports facilities 200 Source: own study based on the data of the Department of Rural THE SOURCES OF FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE IN RU- Development Programs of the Marshal’s Office of the Lubuskie RAL AREAS Voivodeship – as of 31.12.2021. The main source of financing infrastructure in rural areas is the Rural Development Program. In recent years, we Taking into account the fact that the number of inhabit- have witnessed the expansion of water and sewage, road ants of the Lubuskie Voivodeship is almost 1 million [28] and other infrastructure – such as village clubs, market- it is 225 euros per capita. The amounts referred to above places, melioration and land consolidation. The European do not include funds intended for direct payments to Union’s rural development policy was introduced as the farmers, which are also an element of the Rural Develop- second pillar of the CAP during the “Agenda 2000” reform. ment Program. It is financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural The enormity of infrastructure investments implemented Development (EAFRD). This fund is intended to contribute under the Rural Development Program is visible in every to the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy (the commune of Lubuskie province. This is evidenced by in- Union’s strategy for growth and jobs) by promoting sus- formation boards on individual investments, because it is tainable development in rural areas. The EAFRD contrib- the beneficiary’s duty to inform about the aid received utes to the development of an agricultural sector that is from the European Union, including EAFRD and the Rural territorially and environmentally sustainable, climate- Development Program [29]. Within these millions of eu- friendly and resilient to climate change, as well as com- ros, not only new elements of infrastructure were cre- petitive and innovative [24]. ated, but the contractors of these operations were enti- In the case of the Lubuskie Voivodeship – under the Rural ties from the Lubuskie economy, providing construction, Development Program, the Territorial Self-Government water and sewage and road services, which had a positive 360 Management Systems in Production Engineering 2022, Volume 30, Issue 4 impact on the development of these entities. The devel- result of the introduced qualitative and quantitative opment of this infrastructure also influenced the agricul- changes, created the possibility of applying new or signif- ture of Lubuskie province. Melioration operations have icantly improved solutions in agricultural production in a permanently improved the agricultural production capac- particular area. ity of the soil. On the other hand, land consolidation al- lowed eliminating the breakdown of individual farms into REFERENCES [1] A. H. Gardner, Economic Growth: The Problem of Capital small plots of various shapes and sizes, often located at a Accumulation, Macroeconomic Theory, The Macmillan considerable distance (checkerboard of fields), and creat- Company, New York 1961, pp. 505-535. ing farms with a compact area without changing the own- [2] R. J. Barro, Sala-i-Martin X., Economic Growth, The MIT ership structure (but usually taking into account soil valu- Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts) 2003; Rosenstein- ation, which modifies this structure), which enables ra- Rodan P.N., Uwagi o teorii „wielkiego pchnięcia”, tional farming [30]. Construction and modernization of lo- Ekonomista, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, nr 2, cal roads increases road safety, and water and sewerage Warszawa 1959, pp. 360-369; Romer P.M., Endogenous operations increase the quality of life of the inhabitants. Technological Change, Journal of Political Economy, Uni- Despite many investments and millions of euros spent on versity of Chicago Press, Vol. 98, No. 5, Chicago 1990, pp. 71-102. them, village heads and mayors still report a great need [3] M. Dolata, Znaczenie infrastruktury w koncepcji trwałego i for financial resources for water, sewage and road opera- zrównoważonego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich, Studia i tions. The percentage of people using the water supply Prace Wydziału Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania, Uni- system in the Lubuskie region is 94.6%, and that of the wersytet Szczeciński, nr 40, t. 2, Szczecin 2015, p. 47. sewage system – 74.1% of the total population of the voi- [4] K. Krukowski, Rozwój zrównoważony w strategiach gmin vodeship. And despite the millions of investments, there wiejskich, Roczniki Naukowe Stowarzyszenia Ekonomistów are still significant needs in this area. An example is the Rolnictwa i Agrobiznesu, t. 2, Zamość 2000, p. 82 Zwierzyn Commune, where only the first kilometre of the [5] W. Chudy, Infrastruktura techniczna a rozwój turystyki w water supply network is being built, and the degree of the gminach wiejskich województwa małopolskiego, Infra- struktura i Ekologia Terenów Wiejskich, Polska Akademia water supply system until recently was 0% [31]. Nauk Oddział w Krakowie, Komisja Technicznej Infrastruk- tury Wsi, Kraków 2008, pp. 53-61. CONCLUSION [6] E. Berkowska, H. Rasz, D. Stankiewicz, Infrastruktura tech- Infrastructure development is the basis for modernization niczna wsi, Studia BAS, nr 4 (24), Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, processes in the agricultural sector. Without appropriate Warszawa 2010, pp. 181-188 and 212. infrastructure conditions, it becomes impossible to imple- [7] W. Chudy, Rozwój infrastruktury obszarów wiejskich, Infra- ment process, product or organizational innovations in struktura i Ekologia Terenów Wiejskich, Polska Akademia agricultural production. The available infrastructure de- Nauk Oddział w Krakowie, Komisja Technicznej Infrastruk- termines the possibilities of agriculture development, its tury Wsi, nr 10, Kraków 2011, p. 100. [8] M. Tomaszewski, Infrastruktura techniczna jako czynnik progress and directions of technological modernization. poprawiający warunki życia w wiejskich gospodarstwach Summarizing the role of the RDP instrument in the tech- domowych, Prace Naukowe Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa nological modernization of agriculture described in this Wiejskiego. Wydział Ekonomiczno-Rolniczy. Katedra Poli- article based on the Lubuskie Voivodeship in 2007-2020, tyki Agrarnej i Marketingu, nr 33, Szczecin 2004, pp. 266- it should be emphasized that this program was an indirect tool conditioning the processes of progressive changes. By [9] MRiRW, Informacja o stanie infrastruktury technicznej wsi characterizing its impact in this period, its impact can be – raport roczny 2009, Warszawa 2010. described as complementary and stimulating for modern- [10] M. Kowalewski i inni, Infrastruktura Teleinformatyczna ization and transformation processes. Based on the anal- Państwa, Instytut Łączności Państwowy Instytut Badaw- czy, Zakład Zastosowań Technik Łączności Elektronicznej, ysis of the data of the Department of Rural Development Warszawa 2008, pp. 12-13. Programs of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office, it is easy to no- [11] M. Orczykowska Społeczeństwo informacyjne w Polsce w tice that in the analysed period its impact on the modern- 2019 r., Główny Urząd Statystyczny, ization processes of Lubuskie agriculture concerned https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/nauka-i-technika- mainly the development of technical infrastructure sys- spoleczenstwo-informacyjne/spoleczenstwo-informa- tems, which are a necessary condition to start the mod- cyjne/spoleczenstwo-informacyjne-w-polsce-w-2019- ernization process and technological progress. In the roku,2,9.html, pp. 1-2 [accessed: 19.03.2022]. years 2007-2020, this instrument undoubtedly contrib- [12] L. Kłos, Wpływ infrastruktury technicznej na atrakcyjność uted to the improvement of the infrastructural conditions obszarów wiejskich, Studia i Prace Wydziału Nauk Ekono- micznych i Zarządzania, Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Nr 25, surrounding the field in the form of, among other things, Szczecin 2012, pp. 183-189. construction of 600 km of water supply and sewage sys- [13] M. Jeznach i inni, Potrzeby kształtowania infrastruktury tems, construction and reconstruction of 110 km of roads. wsi na terenach chronionych, a rozwój gospodarczy gmin Thus, improving the acceleration functions of the infra- kampinoskich, Zeszyty Naukowe AR Krak, nr 377, Kraków structure in the development of the agricultural sector. 2001, p. 451. These investments undoubtedly contributed to the im- provement of conditions for the growth and functioning of agriculture, and their pro-modernization impact, as a L. KAŹMIERCZAK-PIWKO et al. – The Rural Development Program as an Instrument… 361 [14] J. Wilkin, Obszary wiejskie w polityce rozwoju gospodar- [21] Vortex Bladeless, First wind turbine without blades nor czego Polski, Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne, FAPA, Ko- gears, https://vortexbladeless.com/technology-design/, mitet Ekonomiki Rolnictwa Państwowej Akademii Nauk, [accessed: 27.02.2022]. Warszawa 1996, p. 32. [22] K. Wilczyńska, Infrastruktura wsi i rolnictwa. Próba definicji [15] K. Wierzbicki, K. Krajewski Kierunki rozwoju infrastruktury Poznań 1983, Ruch prawniczy, ekonomiczny i socjolo- technicznej obszarów wiejskich w Polsce, Woda-Środowi- giczny, Rok XLV, zeszyt 2, 1983, pp. 157 and 161. sko-Obszary Wiejskie, Wydawnictwo IMUZ, t. 4, z. 2b(12), [23] S. Ogrodnik, Infrastruktura techniczna a produkcja rolna: Raszyn 2004, pp. 9-20. w zarysie, ss. 259-260 i 263 [w:] Annales Universitatis Ma- [16] Ministerstwo Rozwoju i Rolnictwa, Rolnictwo i obszary rie Curie-Sklodowska Lublin. Polonia vol. XXIX/XXX, 16 SEC- wiejskie w latach 2007-2015, Warszawa 2015, TIO H 1995/1996, Zakład Gospodarki Żywnościowej Wy- https://www.dodr.pl › dodr › ogloszenia › 102015, pp. 30- działu Ekonomicznego UMCS. 32 [accessed: 20.03.2022]. [24] European Union, The second pillar of the CAP: Rural Devel- [17] E. Pierzgalski, Zasoby wodne a rozwój rolnictwa, Studia i opment Policy – Information documents on the, 2017. raporty IUNG-PIB, 2010, z. 19 [25] Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- [18] E. Kaca, Diagnoza z elementami prognozy stanu odwod- opment of 25 January 2013 (Journal of Laws of 2013, item nień i nawodnień użytków rolnych, Średnio i długookre- 119). sowe programy rozwoju melioracji w skali kraju i woje- [26] Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- wództw, z uwzględnieniem potrzeb rolnictwa, możliwości opment of April 21, 2022 (item 922). realizacyjnych i skutków środowiskowych, Falenty 2014, [27] Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- https://www.itp.edu.pl/old /nauka/produktypw/Pro- opment of March 2, 2022 (item 564). gramy %20rozwoju %20melioracji.pdf, pp. 19-23 [acces- [28] https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojew%C3%B3dztwo_lu- sed: 24.03.2022]. buskie as of 15.05.2022. [19] J. Komża, Obszary wiejskie: infrastruktura drogowa, Dzien- [29] Annex III of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) nik warto wiedzieć, 2017, https://wartowiedziec.pl/roz- No 808/2014 of 17 July 2014. woj-i-fundusze/41743-obszary-wiejskie-infrastruktura- [30] https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/;3972846 as of drogowa [accessed: 27.03.2022]. 15.05.2022. [20] M. Woźniak, Zrównoważona gospodarka energetyczna na [31] Data of the Statistical Office in Zielona Góra, as of Decem- obszarach wiejskich w Polsce, Polityka Energetyczna, z. 1, ber 31, 2021. t. 21, Warszawa 2018, pp. 69-84. Leszek Kaźmierczak-Piwko ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4460-7018 University of Zielona Gora Faculty of Economics and Management 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland e-mail: l.kazmierczak@wez.uz.zgora.pl Arkadiusz Dąbrowski Marshal Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship Department of Rural Development Programme al. Zjednoczenia 104A, 65-120 Zielona Góra, Poland e-mail: a.dabrowski@lubuskie.pl Radosław Janiak University of Zielona Gora e-mail: Janiakus91@gmail.com Patrycja Świstak University of Zielona Gora e-mail: p.swistak96@wp.pl

Journal

Management Systems in Production Engineeringde Gruyter

Published: Dec 1, 2022

Keywords: economic instruments to support agricultural development; rural development; agricultural economy; modernization of agricultural technologies; agricultural production; rural development program; agriculture in the EU; sustainable agriculture

There are no references for this article.