ORGANIC FARMING DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN POLAND IN CONTEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM.

This paper aims at analyzing the current state of organic farming in Northern Poland, as well as its development and diversification in the region. Organic farming is fully embedded with the concept of sustainable and balanced development. It impacts favorably on the ecosystem, rationally using the natural resources, increases biodiversity and ensure high quality of manufactured products. The aim of organic farming is to maintain a balance between resources and requirements of the economy. The study demonstrates the influence of Polish accession to the European Union, on the dynamisation of management system, using the natural processes occurring on the farm. Polish accession to the European Union resulted in the emergence of new instruments of supporting the development of sustainable agriculture and rural areas. After the introduction of EU subsidies and the entry into force of the EU regulation on organic farming, Northern Poland saw a rapid increase in both the number of farms producing organically as well as ecological surface area of the farmland. Ecological processing plants began functioning. In large part this is due to the increasing demand for organic food, both domestically as well as abroad, as well as the possibility of financial support for farms, which implement environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Organic production methods in agriculture fit into the concept of sustainable development, which implies coherence between economic, environmental and social objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]