The extent to which our country is secure in terms of food was discussed by participants in the debate ‘Food security – sustainable agriculture – measures to ensure production efficiency’.

‘In terms of statistics, food security in Poland is quite good. This is the assessment of an international institution and our assessment at Statistics Poland. According to the Global Food Security Index, which takes into account various factors affecting food security, including price and quality aspects, but also natural conditions and resilience to climate change, Poland currently ranks 21st out of 113 countries surveyed. What is important is that over the last decade, our country has systematically improved its position, as we were previously classified among countries with moderate food security, and now we are treated as a country with high food security’, pointed out Renata Bielak, Vice-President of Statistics Poland.

We are moving up

‘Poland is not isolated, it is part of the global system, but the index shows that, unfortunately, food security worldwide is on the decline. That is bad news. According to data from the FAO, the United Nations agency responsible for food and agriculture, approximately 8% of the world's population suffers from malnutrition, including quite a large number in Europe. We estimate that in Poland, the percentage of undernourished people is around 2–2.5%, but food security in Poland is at a good level, as indicated by domestic agricultural production, which meets domestic needs and allows for the production of surpluses that are exported. The trade balance for agricultural and food products is positive, i.e. we export more than we import. However, there are also indicators that show that we face challenges in terms of food security. For example, increasing the efficiency of agricultural production and its ability to adapt to climate change depends on expenditure on research and development. There is a lot of catching up to do here’, added the Vice-President of the Statistics Poland.

'We must realise that food security, alongside military and energy security, is of paramount importance. This awareness must become part of the social consciousness. We often speak disparagingly about farmers and agriculture, and even my colleagues do so, something with which I absolutely disagree, because we must realise that when we look in our own refrigerators, we see what food security is. It is something tangible that we can see. Availability, quality and sanitary safety mean comfort. These three pillars on which food security is built are fulfilled, pointed out Alicja Łepkowska-Gołaś, deputy, chair of the standing subcommittee on food security in the Polish Parliament, emphasising that security is not only about the quantity of food, but also its quality. ‘Exports are a separate issue. Polish products are in demand on the global market, as evidenced by the results from 2024, when the value of agri-food exports amounted to EUR 54 billion', she added.

Support from the system

‘Of course we are food secure, and our food is very healthy and produced in an environmentally friendly way. There is obviously a lot to be done here, but Polish farmers are responsible. This must be emphasised, especially when we talk about the agreement with Mercosur, and try to stop the influx of food produced there in a completely different way. The Polish government should support agriculture in a systemic way’, said Monika Piątkowska, Senator of the Republic of Poland. What does support from the system mean? ‘We definitely need to reduce agricultural production costs. In my opinion, this is the number one task. Agricultural production in Poland and the European Union must be profitable. If we eliminate its competitiveness, we will open up markets to much cheaper products, even from EU countries, but produced without the same responsibility as in Poland, and we will destroy food production in Poland. There is no room for discussion here. On the other hand, it is important to open up new markets and diversify them. Businesses know exactly where to trade, and the state (including veterinary services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Support Centre for Agriculture, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency) should listen to them. If business says that, for example, Algeria, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are promising markets, then the government should open up those markets as business cannot do so. I mean the formal and legal side. These are systemic solutions that should be implemented regardless of the political parties currently in power', added Piątkowska, also stating that farmers do not want EU subsidies, which turns out to be different in theory than in reality.

‘As regards subsidies from the European Union, I must remind you that since 2004, Poland has received EUR 85 billion for the common agricultural policy (CAP). Farmers do say that they do not need subsidies, but this is not entirely true. Unfortunately, over 40% of Polish farmers' income comes from subsidies. This must be taken into account in today's agricultural and economic situation. Without this money, Polish farmers would not be able to function. I absolutely agree that systemic solutions are the most important, but on the one hand, the CAP has helped farmers, and on the other, it has done something bad for agriculture by petrifying the existing structure of farms, and officially we still have 1.3 million of them. However, the key factor is the number of production farms operating effectively, and there are 300,000, 400,000 at most. The rest operate only for their own use’, said Professor Sławomir Kalinowski, head of the Department of Economics at the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He added that the petrification of the farm structure due to direct payments from the second pillar means that more than half of Polish farms have less than 5 ha, and almost three-quarters have less than 10 ha. ‘This is a cause for concern, partly because we face a very large area of informal farm leases, which means that, on average, we theoretically have less than 12 hectares per farm, and in practice we do not know how many farms really function’, emphasised Professor Kalinowski.

The value of regenerative agriculture

‘When we talk about financial support, the key question is whether the funds strengthen the part of agriculture that is, in a sense, renewable. It concerns the renewal of our most valuable resource, nature, and for farmers this simply means soil. Soil is eroded for many reasons, including climatic factors such as droughts and floods. Recent reports show that 61% of soil in the European Union is already degraded, which means that resources continue to shrink. That is why Nestlé proposes a transition to a type of agriculture that reduces pressure and allows this valuable resource to regenerate, namely regenerative agriculture’, said Dr Jacek Czarnecki, Director of Regulatory & Scientific Affairs for Central and Eastern Europe at Nestlé.

Regenerative agriculture is based on three pillars: caring for the soil and its health, strengthening the biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems, and responsible water management. Care for the soil and biodiversity are closely linked, as the soil is also an ecosystem that provides a habitat for many species. Monoculture farming, on the other hand, depletes the soil, which in turn reduces yields. Reducing pressure on water resources is the third key pillar of regenerative agriculture.

‘I want to point out that globally, we get over 21 per cent of our raw materials this way, and we plan to double that in the next five years. In Poland, almost 100 farms already use this model, and that's just the beginning’, Czarnecki calculated.

Why should Polish farmers adopt this farming model? What are the benefits of regenerative agriculture?

The first to sign up for the programmes are farmers who experience the effects of climate change and look for ways to cope with them. Regenerative agriculture focuses on the health and resilience of the soil, the farmer's basic tool. Thanks to the consistent implementation of these practices, the soil regains its properties and becomes more resistant to weather conditions, and crops become more predictable. The transfer of knowledge is also important, as it forms the basis for farmers' decisions to implement specific regenerative practices. It makes sense to note that these programmes are financially supported by businesses in the first few years of changing farming methods, whether when implementing specific practices or purchasing machinery. In the case of more advanced farms, bonus models are used, i.e. better remuneration for raw materials. For farmers, this also means a long-term relationship with raw material buyers, as these programmes last for many years.

It was also pointed out during the discussion that there is also organic farming between conventional and regenerative farming. ‘At the EU level, higher food quality systems were established as early as the 1990s, i.e. not only those originating from intensive, highly commercial agriculture, which of course also meet all the requirements. These include organic farming, which is a combination of soil care, crop rotation and, above all, the non-use of chemical fertilisers. It also means animal welfare and a ban on GMOs. It is a system for producers who are ready to take on the challenge, because it is a much more difficult form of production. Plant diseases must be tackled when plantations cannot be treated with pesticides, but eco-products are increasingly sought after by consumers who, in addition to taste, also care about environmental protection and animal welfare’, said Małgorzata Waszewska, Director of the Office of Organic Farming and Regional Products at the Main Inspectorate of Agricultural and Food Quality. ‘Organic farming in Poland is getting better and better. We have 25,000 organic producers, of which about 23,000 are farms. We now have the largest area since we joined the EU, which is 690,000 ha. Almost 5 per cent of agricultural land in Poland is already used for organic production', she added.

Soil, water and energy are key

‘Regenerative agriculture is key, because even if we cover all the fields in Poland with a layer of money, nothing will grow. Food grows on soil. If the soil is dry, cracked and depleted, we cannot achieve food security. The same happens if we do not have access to water, and Poland is not a particularly water-rich country. If we do not start taking care of our water infrastructure, no matter how many billions of euros we spend, we will not have food’, emphasised engineer Andrzej Gantner, Vice-President of the Board and Director General of the Polish Federation of Food Industry Union of Employers.

‘It is time to take a slightly different approach to food production management. We need to take a more strategic approach. We need proper retention and access to water. If we do not support farmers in regenerative techniques, then, whether we like it or not, judging by what is happening in nature, which is not only manifested in higher temperatures, as some would like to believe, but also in a significant destabilisation of agricultural production conditions, we will have a serious problem. We need to build the entire environmental infrastructure around farmers so that they can maintain production and competitiveness, emphasised Gantner, pointing out that soil, water and energy are key, especially low energy costs, which is not the case in our country, as energy costs are among the highest in Europe. 'We must also reduce processing costs and remove all the bureaucratic and fiscal burdens that limit our agricultural producers and processors', he concluded.

Coverage partner: Nestlé Polska