ABSTRACT
There is growing concern about the negative effects of globalization on sustainable development, poor people and welfare in developing countries and on the weaker groups in society. Yet some analysts point out that the forces behind globalization are powerful factors that could contribute to stimulating growth in developing countries, reducing poverty and making development sustainable. This paper aims to contribute to this debate by demonstrating some impacts of globalization on agriculture and rural areas in transition countries. It presents new empirical evidence on how specific aspects of ‘globalization’, in particular the inflow of foreign capital and the integration in international commodity markets, have affected Polish agriculture – and more specifically the small-scale dairy sector. Given the characteristics of the sector (many poor small farmers, low-quality output, in need of investment and restructuring, etc.), the study yields insights that have wider implications.
