Policy of Support of Rural Development and Rural Tourism in

Poland

Ewa Tyran, University of Agriculture, Krakow, Poland

„”EU public administration and implementation of EU regional policy and rural development in V-4 countries”

Nitra, November 19-21, 2009

Rural areas in Poland• population - 14.8 million (38.3%)• area - 93.4 % of Poland

• 2.7 mln (19% of working population) worked in farming, hunting and forestry in 2002

• Polish farming population consists 25% of the whole EU population working in agriculture (of 25 countries)

• Agriculture – about 2.3% of National Gross Product

Some of the rural areas problems

• low educational attainment• anachronistic social and professional structure• high registered and unregistered unemployment• very high fragmentation of farms• lack of capital and its significant dispersion• underdevelopment of technical and social infrastructure• „institutional emptiness”

Strategy for Rural Areas and Farming Development in 2007-2010

(with elements of forecasting untill 2020)

• According to the document rural unemployment (registered and unregistered) is estimated to be as high as 1.6 million people.

- solving the problem of unemployment by facilitating access to labour market and generating off-farm jobs in rural areas is one of the most urgent and important challenges for economic policy

Agriculture

• nearly 2 million farms over 1 ha• only 15.5 thousand over 50ha• average farm about 9 ha (average for districts from 3.2

to 17.1ha)• „chess board” farms of several plots, espacially south-

east of Poland• In 2002

17.1% of farms did not produce temporarily or constantly10,6% produced only to meet their own needs25.5% produced mainly to meet their own needs46.8% produced mainly for the market

Policies for rural areas development

• multifunctional rural development• sustainable rural development

• generating new non agricultural jobs• improving income situation of farm families and other

inhabitants• enhancing entrepreneurial attitudes• developing rural infrastructure• improving education system and opportunities

Policy of Support of Rural Tourism

• rural tourism as economic necessity from the 90.

small farms, high fragmentation

high costs of input,

low profitability of agriculture production,

growing unemployment

too much labour force on farms

slim chance of non-agricultural jobs in rural areas

Why rural tourism?• hospitality as ”natural skills”• relatively low bariers in starting that kind of activity• relatively low costs of starting a new business

if you have spare rooms excess of labour force spare time

• agritourism – tax exemption

• your consumers come form outside and have money

• for city dwellers rural areas can be exotic

New trends in tourism

• Instead of „3 S” „3 E”• sand education• sun entertainment • sea excitement

• several shorter holidays• looking for new forms • more care about environment• rest – holidays in natural conditions (rural,

green, eco-, agritourism).

Forms of support

• European Union strategies for rural areas development

as a result • Polish Strategy of the Development of Tourism 2007 -

2013

with strong underlining of rural tourism development, its role in multifunctional development as well as socio-economic development of rural areas:

„Tourism product of rural areas” as one of the 5 branding products of Poland (Priority V, Measure 2.2)

EU support

among others:

• Supporting Enterprises Competitiveness

• Development of Human Resources

• Integrated Operational Programme for Regional Development

• Strategy of Rural Development and Agriculture Development for 2007 - 2013:

• support for sustainable rural development

• diversification of activities to generate alternative sources of income

• development and popularisation of rural tourism

• preservation of natural and cultural qualities of rural areas

• activation of rural population and improvement of social infrastructure

• development of technical infrastructure

Groups of onstitutions supporting development of rural tourism in Poland

Forms of activities of institutions supporting rural tourism development

Kind of activity

Forms of activities Examples of tasks beginning of 90. beginning of 21st c.

 

information publications, leaflets, lectures advisory advisory

advisory consultations, meetings with professionals (finances, law)

information education

educational courses, training, seminars promotion integration

promoting catalogues, exhibitions, fairs, radio, TV, Internet

integration information

financial support

soft credits, domestic financial support, EU financial support

information financial support

integration Cooperation with other actors (formal and informal groups)

educational promotion

EU support + domestic

• support for rural tourism• support for diversification of income sources for

farms (agritourism)• support for villages development• support for cultural heritage conservation, preservation of natural and cultural qualities of

rural areas• support for social and technical infrastructure

development• support for education

Rural tourism actors

• Finances (EU, domestic,public, private)• Local Partnerships • Chambers of Tourism• Local Tourism Organisations• Local governments and self-governments• NGOs• Agritourism Associations• Programme „Leader”

CONCLUSIONS• Rural development through multifunctionality and sustainability

• Advantageous are all policies supporting multifuncional and sustainable development of rural areas

• Theoretically a lot of measures and institutions –lack of effects

• Special place and dimension of rural tourism in rural areas multifunctional strategies

• Lack of cooperation and harmonisation of tasks and activities

• Lack of adequate advisory services

• Learning by „trial and error”

• Lack of efficient and competent institutional support

• Stress on development of rural tourism products – diversification, specialisation, quality

• Harmonising and steering rural tourism actors by „local centres”

• Strengthening of partnership on different levels