Quo vadis Hungarian agriculture? Lessons from EU accession

t he agriculture and food industry have become the most problematic sector for most new mem - bers of the e uropean u nion ( eu ), including Hungary. t his situation has arisen due to economic and social changes over the last 15 years. Its proportion has decreased significantly in both the production process and employment; however, almost 20 per cent of the Hungarian population is still involved in agriculture. t his study examines the main agricultural processes on the basis of data from the g eneral a gricultural c ensus (2010), compares the results with Poland and determines why Polish agriculture can be considered as a winner of eu enlargement and what Hungary has to learn about its success. n ew requirements in agriculture raise the necessity to determine possible farming alternatives, which provide a viable option for its partici - pants. t he study shows the effects of change in the agricultural sector in Hungary, the structure of farms, the profitability of agricultural producers and possible farming strategies, with special attention paid to the economic possibilities and consequences of the decreased use of artificial chemicals. t he study refers to the plenary session of the Polish a ssociation of a gricultural and a gribusiness e conomists held by the author in l ublin, in 2005