Conditions of changes in productivity of family farms in Poland

The article analyses, on the basis of mass statistics data gathered by Chief Statistical Office, the changes in resources and relations of production factors in family farms in years 1961 - 1987 together with their productivity and the level of outlay on agricultural production. Besides, the above questions have been analysed with respect to area groups of farms from two extremely different regions. The analysis shews that productivity in family farms depends on the level and relations of production factors. The productivity is influenced mostly by the improvement of turnover means-land and durable goods-land relations, while the efficiency of labour is influenced mostly by the improvement of land-labour and durable goods-labour relations. The productivity of these two production factors in family farms in years 1961 -1987 showed upward tendencies in consequence of a decrease in acreage of land and labour resources in those farms as well as in consequence of providing more means of production for agriculture. The latter increase was, however, insufficient and, as a result, the efficiency of total outlay on a unit of production depended mostly on land-labour relation, what manifested itself by a considerable participation of labour outlay in the overall structure of outlay. At the same time, as the acreage of farms grew, and in subsequent years, the participation of labour and land in the structure of outlay decreased while the turnover and durable goods outlays increased. Simultaneously, an increase in technical equipment of labour and a decrease in the level of outlay on production could be observed. Providing more means of production for family farms made it possible to substitute land and labour and increase the scale of agricultural output. However, it also brought a decrease in efficiency of utilization of those means, yet slower than a corresponding growth of productivity of labour and land.Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/201