ABSTRACT
The labor strikes of 1980 and 1981, the founding of the labor union Solidamosc, and discord between citizens and political leaders set the stage for economic reforms in Poland. Poland lies in the transition zone between a cyclonal westerlies climate and continental climate of the upper middle latitudes. Poland’s agricultural land included a large share of arable land in 1998, 22 percent grassland, and 1.4 percent permanent crops, which are mostly orchards. Polish agriculture is heavily specialized in livestock production. This applies especially to family farms, 72 percent of which have large animals. Poland’s rural population generally lives under less favorable conditions than, for instance, rural populations in the Czech Republic, Hungary and parts of Slovakia. Differences between urban and rural areas also appear to be more pronounced in Poland, and there is substantial evidence that the rural disadvantage has increased since 1989.
