Case study 10: Poland: A successful diversification initiative based on production of soft fruits, vegetables and oil crops
Cluster 2: Crop diversification under adverse conditions
The Polish case study is based on a network of many closely cooperating organic farms and small processing plants. It is located in the south-eastern part of Poland where agriculture is characterized by low-intensity production and a very fragmented structure of fields. The agricultural activity of organic farms includes production of soft fruits, vegetables and oilseed crops such as rape, flax, oil pumpkin and milk thistle (Silybum marianum). The crops are mainly cultivated for the needs of a small oil processing plant, which belongs to the organic farmer Thomas Obszański. Together with his farm, it forms the core element of the case study. The plant specializes in the cold pressing of oils. It also produces oil cakes (by-product), which are used as a fodder for pigs kept on the farm since 2020.
In addition to oil crops, different vegetables are cultivated on the farms. Some of them are sown among the rows of fruit bushes, mainly in order to maximise the utilisation of agricultural land, but also to reduce the costs of weed control. Moreover, cultivating intercrops between main crops on arable land is an important element of crop diversification. The third pillar of agricultural farm activity includes cultivation of soft fruits, such as gooseberry, raspberry, black and red currant, strawberry and aronia.
What were the main problems underlying the emergence of the case study?
The key problem the farmers faced was how to effectively conduct the agricultural production in conditions of very small and fragmented farms that dominate in this region. Previous agricultural production based on mixed farming with high share of arable crops (mainly cereals) became completely unprofitable.
Low yields of crops due to poor soil quality (sandy soils) was another important problem.
How was the problem addressed and which actors were involved?
In order to solve the key problems described above, the farmers started to seek alternatives. In the nineties, they started to cultivate berry crops, such as raspberry, black currant, strawberry and aronia. At the beginning, they were cultivated conventionally, but with the development of the organic market most of the farms converted to organic farming. However, because the farms were small and dispersed, the farmers agreed to establish production networks. Such a network was also established by Tomasz Obszański. The network now consists of many organic farmers, an oil processing plant, a fruit processing plant “Owocowe Smaki”, a vegetable wholesaler and a butchery. The network became a key element of a new value chain. This value chain, especially its downstream part, has been redeveloped over the last years. By incorporating wholesalers and individual consumers, the supply chain has been shortened to a minimum. Many of the barriers have been overcome, but development of the case study is still limited by the small number of organic suppliers, which means that some organic products must be obtained from further away. However, the actors of this initiative have been undertaking different activities, for example educational campaigns, in order to expand the local supply chain. Moreover, agricultural advisors deliver appropriate technical support in farming. However, there is a lack of high-quality organic advisory services in the area. The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG-PIB) in Puławy has been closely cooperating with the case study.
Solution investigated
- Improvements in crop rotation by introducing catch crops (e.g., mixtures of legumes and non-legume crops) to increase the crop yields.
- Production of vegetables cultivated among the rows of soft fruits.
Expected outcome
- New diversification-based solutions developed to increase or stabilize the yields of organic crops.
- Model of an efficient, short, organic value chain acting as a demonstration centre.
- Main barriers of crop diversification in organic farming systems identified.
Relevance to the DiverIMPACTS goals
The organic case study, with a network of farms based on high crop diversification, should contribute to lower environmental impacts.
Cultivation of rare oil crops such as oil pumpkin and milk thistle (Silybum marianum) should open new market opportunities and increase farmers’ profits.
Case study legacy
The demand for organic food is growing rapidly. Due to attempts to shorten the value chain and the very diversified, organic and circular production its efficiency increased significantly. During the last years, the case study introduced animal (pig) production and processing. Thanks to this the by-products coming from the vegetable production and oil processing have been utilized as a valuable fodder for pigs, at the same time manure produced in the farm has been applied on the fields to improve the soil fertility and nutrient cycling. An important attempt to shorten the value chain was the educational campaign at the primary schools initiated in Lublin Province by the case study team in December 2021. In March 2022 in total almost 4000 pupils were educated. The long-term objective of this campaign was to develop organic catering in schools based on the organic and local products coming mainly from the from located in the Lublin Province.
Further information
Links
- youtube.com: Video "Tomasz Obszański - rolnik ekologiczny z Podkarpacia" (English subtitles)
- youtube.com: Video "Barwy Zdrowia - przykład, że można realizować marzenia" (English subtitles)
Case study team
- Tomasz and Magdalena Obszańscy, Barwy Zdrowia, case study leaders
- Jarosław Stalenga, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, case study monitor
- Paweł Radzikowski, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, case study monitor
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