ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Farming Systems in High Nature Value (HNV)
Farmland: a Case Study of Wigry National Park,
Poland
Barbara Sutkowska1, Jan Rozbicki1, Dariusz Gozdowski2
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1Department of Agronomy, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
2Department of Experimental Design and Bioinformatics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2013;22(2):521-531
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ABSTRACT
Our research was based on data obtained from a questionnaire administered in 2005 distributed to 80
farms in Wigry National Park in northeastern Poland. The questionnaire concerned agricultural production and
the attitudes of farmers for future plans, especially connected with sustainable development, e.g. organic farming.
The data were analyzed using a classification based on two-dimensional criteria: farm size (in ha of UAA)
and type of production, as well as multivariate statistical methods such as cluster analysis and principal component
analysis. From the analyses, six groups of farms were identified according to the characteristics of their
farming systems, and the relationships between the examined variables were evaluated. A large percentage of
the farms (approximately 32%) were classified as units that served primarily social functions, with an average
area of approximately 10 ha. The other groups of farms identified were characterized by medium- or lowintensity
agricultural production. Only one group, consisting of approximately 13% of the farms, performed
intensive cattle production (LSU above 1 per ha) and used higher levels of fertilization (above 100 kg NPK
per ha).