Belovezhskaya Pushcha - XXI Century | Book1 | Potential for the development of ecological agriculture

POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE IN THE VICINITY OF THE BIALOWIEZA PRIMEVAL FOREST

Jerzy Szymona,
Polish Ecological
Agriculture Society,
Warsaw,
Poland

HISTORY OF THE FOREST CLEARINGS IN THE BIALOWIEZA FOREST

Within the Polish part of the Bialowieza, a number of settlements are situated within the large primeval forest. Nowadays, these villages are surrounded by farmland. The harmonious combination of traditional wooden houses with the surrounding farmland yields a fine scenery, which is appreciated by many visitors. Besides the cultural historic value, the traditional use of the farmlands has important ecological values.

The hamlet of Bialowieza was built in the 16th century near the Narevka River. Originally, its inhabitants were gamekeepers and forest gardeners who served royal parties on their hunting visits. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the villagers got the right to agriculturally exploit the surrounding grounds for their own needs in place of a salary. The others villages in the centre of the forest, Budy, Teremiski and Pogorzelce, were developed by charcoal-burners from Moravia. These small villages of only 20-25 wooden houses were built in the centre of a forest clearing with a diameter of approximately one kilometre. The higher areas of the clearing were exploited as small-scale arable fields and the lower parts used as common pastures or hay fields (for example, in the Narevka valley). At various times, the inhabitants were forced to leave the area because of Royal Laws or war activities. During the Second World War, the hamlets of Budy, Teremiski and Pogorzelce were totally burnt out by the Nazis, and afterwards the villagers of Bialowieza were forced to leave the area by the Russians. Later, many of the houses were rebuilt in the traditional way and the surrounding land was again put to agricultural use. Up until the 1960s traditional agricultural methods were used, and as a consequence of the stable and extensive land use adapted to the natural conditions, traditional farmland flora and fauna flourished.

Figure 25. Traditional farmyard
with horses (PB)

In the late 1960s, the scenery gradually changed. A number of fields and meadows were left unused following demographic changes in the rural population, and others were farmed more intensively using modern agricultural techniques (industrial fertilizers, chemical pesticides) in combination with drainage operations etc. This process, which has been much more prominent on the outskirts of the Bialowieza Forest, has negative consequences for environmental aspects, landscape and nature, and the cultural history (and thus also for ecotourism).

THE PRICIPLES OF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE

In general, agricultural use of land within the boundaries of a protected area often conflicts with the guidelines for conservation of the natural environment. Such a conflict occurs when a farm operates using modern conventional farming systems. Synthetic fertilizers and crop protection chemicals are environmental pollutants that spread beyond the boundaries of the fields..

Figure 26. Old barn situated
in meadowland (PB)

Reduction in the use of such chemicals is difficult to reconcile with an intensification of agricultural production. Thus, the inclusion of agricultural land within a protected area often triggers protests from the local population, afraid of restrictions on the production technologies they can use. Often, decision-makers are tempted to purchase agricultural land that is part of a protected area and eliminate all agricultural production. The increasing tensions between farmers and the boards of National or Landscape Parks can be minimised through the development of ecological agriculture on farmland within a protected area. In this way, the "burden" of adjoining a protected area can become a source of profit for the farmer.

Figure 27. Hayfield full of
wild flowers (CO)

Ecological agriculture is a system of agricultural production that is based on making use of the natural processes that can occur within farms. Working with this definition, agricultural production need not conflict with the guidelines for areas of high natural value. Such a system can be fully rational, and modern, and can lead to satisfactory economic results.

Ecological agriculture has in recent years been rapidly developing in countries with strong economies. The number of organic farms in Western Europe is steadily increasing. The principles of organic production in the European Union are included in many legal acts, of which the primary one is a Council Regulation of the European Union. This legislation covers all EU countries and guarantees that organic food, regardless of where it has been produced, will have a similar quality.

Poland's association agreement with the European Union - and the prospect of full integration - confront our agricultural system with totally new tasks. In this context, ecological agriculture should be seen as an opportunity for the Polish farmer. With its applicability to small farms and traditional techniques of crop production, this approach can make a sensible use of the excess labour force that is to be found in the Polish countryside. The degradation of our agricultural land, especially in Eastern Poland, is far less marked than in Western Europe. Therefore, in many studies, Poland is seen as a potential market competitor selling high quality food, including some from organic farms.

Organic production can bring about tangible economic profits and, to a large extent, meet market expectations and requirements. This is why it should be pursued in successful commercial farms, where high yields of good quality crops can be achieved. Such production can only occur in a balanced natural environment, where pollution does not exceed accepted levels. Standards define environmental pollution thresholds, and all analysis results have to remain within set limits. Overseeing organisations monitor the contamination levels in soil and plants on an organic farm. Regardless of the farm's environment, a criterion is that the farm should not be more contaminated than the surrounding area, and the contamination levels should not show an increasing trend.

Technologies applied in such agricultural production have to be environmentally friendly. Those that have a degrading effect on nature cannot be applied in organic farms. Ecological agriculture excludes the use of synthetic substances, such as industrial fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and growth hormones. Such substances are, nowadays, the basis of conventional and integrated agricultural systems. The non-use of synthetic compounds alone, however, does not make an activity ecological. If environmental contamination exceeds adopted standards, then even the most "ecologically" operated farm will not provide food of high ecological value, because the permissible content of harmful substances may still be exceeded.

The whole production cycle within a farm, typically from the growing of crops through to processing and other production tasks, must not poison the environment. Not only the completely banned synthetic substances, but also some organic ones can be the cause of natural environmental contamination. An example is liquid manure, an organic fertilizer that can be used in organic farms, but only in moderate doses and at certain times of the year. Its improper application can cause groundwater contamination, which is unacceptable within the concept of ecological agriculture.

ORGANIC FERTILIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL PLANT PROTECTION

Fertilization of fields is one of the more important problems in ecological agriculture. The preparation of organic fertilizers is complicated and labour intensive, even if the whole process is mechanised. Due to the low concentrations of mineral components, and a considerable water content, transportation of organic fertilizers over long distances is not economically viable, even within a farm, and therefore they are not seen as a commercially exploitable product. They should thus be seen as local fertilizers or just farmyard manure.

The useful components contained in these fertilizers are not easily available to plants and, when applied directly to the soil, the results tend to be disappointing. Better utilisation is possible through using biological circulation. This is achieved by adding such fertilizers to compost or manure (including liquid forms).

Plant protection products permitted by the Polish Ecological Agriculture Society include Zoocides, which are based mostly on the bacterium Bacillus thuringensis. Once this gets into an insect's alimentary tract it leads to poisoning and usually the death of the insect. This bacterium is not toxic to animals and man, and it is also harmless to bees. There are several commercial products available containing this bacterium.

Biological mineral fungicides are based on copper or sulphur compounds. The Ministry of Agriculture lists the acceptable commercial products. These preparations destroy fungal and bacterial diseases such as: potato blight, apple scab, and those diseases which lead to currant bush leaves falling off. Following their application, these preparations decompose and continue to serve the plants as fertilizers, providing them with copper and sulphur.

CERTIFICATION AND THE POLISH ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE SOCIETY (PTRE)

Using such principles, it is possible to run a farm in an ecological way. However, agricultural crops from such a farm can only be sold as organic ones once a certificate, issued by an authorised certifying entity, has been obtained. The market for organic products in Poland and European countries is regulated by legal acts. Through such ordinances, the phrase "organic food" is protected against misuse. Moreover, this stops consumers being led to believe, by the use of similar adjectives, that a product that is not organic is of similar quality.

Figure 28. Intensively managed
farmland on the outskirts
of the Bialowieza Forest (CO)

The largest relevant inspection body in Poland is the Polskie Towarzystwo Rolnictwa Ekologicznego [PTRE] (Polish Ecological Agriculture Society). The Society is authorised by the Minister of Agriculture to carry out inspections of the farms and business entities that make up the organic products market.

A farmer who wants to move towards organic production should state in writing his willingness to co-operate with the Polish Ecological Agriculture Society. Having received such an application, the Society will check the degree of soil pollution resulting from the, hitherto, conventional agricultural practices. If laboratory tests show that heavy metal levels are within PTRE standards, then the farm is deemed suitable for organic production.

A transition period from conventional to organic production lasts at least two years. During this period, the farmer is obliged to apply exclusively those fertilizers and plant protective systems which are allowed in the ecological agriculture system, although agricultural crops are not yet treated as organic. This regime applies to the whole farm and all of its components (animal husbandry, processing etc.). Only after two years is it possible to obtain an organic farm certificate, which authorises the sale of agricultural products described using the adjective organic.

The controls overseen by the Society enable organic products to be sold at higher prices. Business entities controlled by the PTRE ensure long-term contracts for the sale of organic products. Some 80% of Polish organic production is exported to the European Union, where the demand for high quality food is very strong.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE IN THE BIALOWIEZA FOREST CLEARINGS

Figure 29. Natural pine-spruce
coniferous forest (PB)

There would seem to be good opportunities for ecological agriculture near the villages in the Bialowieza Forest, because this approach combines both economic and ecological goals. It could also slow down the process of the abandonment of the area by the local population. Practical experiences from other areas have shown that moving from traditional or "modern" farming practices to ecological ones is a complicated process. Farmers need careful information and advice over many years, and considerable technical and financial support from governmental bodies. Moreover, a broad and detailed inventory and evaluation needs to be made of cultural, landscape and natural values of the farmland areas within the Bialowieza Forest, and the results have to be implemented in the land use in the future. In this way the existing harmony between man and nature in the Bialowieza Forest can be sustainably safeguarded for future generations.