Policy of Support of Rural Development and Rural Tourism in Poland

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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”

4. 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

5. 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 constantly 10,6% produced only to meet their own needs 25.5% produced mainly to meet their own needs 46.8% produced mainly for the market

6. 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

7. Policy of Support of Rural Tourism • rural tourism as economic necessityfrom 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

8. 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

9. 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) .

10. 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)

11. 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

12. Groups of onstitutions supporting development of rural tourism in Poland

13. Forms of activities of institutions supporting rural tourism development

14. 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

15. 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”

16. 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