1. Climate Change

Today’s farmer no longer struggle only with “the weather itself”, but also with sudden anomalies. Increasingly long periods of drought, interrupted by flash floods, and unstable winters are changing the field work calendar. Water shortages have become a key problem, forcing farmers to invest in expensive irrigation and retention systems and to seek out devices that improve water management and plant varieties resistant to water stress.

2. Rising production costs and market volatility

The agricultural sector in Poland has found itself in a “price squeeze” – while costs remain at record highs, agricultural produce prices have fallen dramatically in recent years. The main sources of higher direct costs are the rise in the prices of mineral fertilizers, fuels, and electricity resulting from geopolitical tensions, as well as the rising costs of seasonal workers and services.

3. Environmental Pressures and Regulations

Legal requirements are imposed on farms to protect air and water quality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eliminating water and soil contamination. Farmers are bound by national regulations, such as the Nitrate Programme, which sets strict deadlines for fertilizer application and limits on nitrogen doses, and EU regulations – Council Directive 91/676/EEC, which requires Member States to protect waters from agricultural runoff.

4. Limited access to plant protection products

For several years, there has been a surge in restrictions on the availability of plant protection products approved for sale – over the past five years, over 100 active substances have been withdrawn, while not a single new one has been approved. This situation is dictated by the safety of human health and environmental protection, but it is becoming a challenge for farmers, as it significantly hinders their effective control of diseases and pests.

5. Ecology and Sustainable Development

The demand for organic food is growing rapidly. Organic farming now accounts for almost 5% of Poland’s agricultural land. While the stringent certification process guarantees product quality, it also challenges farmers to combine these standards with market pressure for greater efficiency, forcing them to adopt innovative production methods.

6. Automation and Digitization

Automation and Digitization in agruculture combine modern information technology, robotics, and artificial intelligence with agricultural production. They are an effective tool for precise resource management, cost optimization, and increased yields while protecting the environment. A barrier to widespread implementation of these solutions is the high initial cost of purchasing equipment, which deepens the disparity between large, commercial farms and smaller businesses.

7. Societal Challenges

The aging farming population, staff shortages, and the growing gap between consumer expectations regarding issues such as animal welfare or chemical reduction and the realities of large-scale food production are other challenges facing modern agriculture.

Modern agriculture is undergoing its greatest transformation in years, with the primary goal of reconciling economic efficiency with environmenatl protection amid the pressures of climate change, stringent legal regulations, and rising production costs. According to researchers, the answer to agricultural challenges lies in sustainable agriculture, which utilizes precision farming, defined as managing farms using digital technologies to monitor and optimize agricultural production processes.