Organic farming as regional smart specialization in Podlasie in light of quantitative and qualitative research

The article aims to present the results of research on the prerequisites for the development of organic farming in a region recognized as Regional Smart Specialization. Due to growing consumer interest in the standards of food available on the market, the list of National Smart Specializations includes an entire section dedicated to “High quality food” and under it the “Production of organic, traditional and regional food”. Only few Polish voivodships placed this sector on the regional list, thus giving organic farming priority in the process of financing research and investment. The voivodship, which not only excels in the statistics of organic production in the country but, what is important, treats this activity as its smart specialization is the Podlaskie voivodship. To assess the conditions for the development of organic farming in Podlasie, the data regarding the number of certified organic farms as well as the opinions of local stakeholders concerning the future of this sector in the region were analyzed. Including qualitative research results in the analysis process allowed to indicate the prognosis for the possible development of this sector in the voivodship