Adapting to climate change and effective water management in Polish agriculture – At the level of government institutions and farms

Abstract

There is a mutual connection between agriculture and hydrology. Proper management of the water resources in agriculture, and taking appropriate action or avoiding inappropriate activities in this area could significantly reduce anthropogenic stress and thus have a positive impact on the ecohydrology of the country.Questions arise about whether state regulations and the activities of government institutions support farms in the effective management of water resources, There are also questions about how farmers deal with the challenges of water management that result from climate change. In order to answer these questions, the following research tools were used: analysis of existing data, a review of the literature and legal acts, as well as a quantitative research method – a questionnaire.The study shows that despite the lack of – or negligible – support of government institutions, Polish farmers are trying to cope with the consequences of climate change on water management themselves; this is especially true for large and medium-sized agricultural enterprises. However, the farmers still have not realized that their individual decisions reduce the economic efficiency of their production but that they also negatively impact ecosystems, hydrology, and other economic entities whose activity depends on the quality of the water resource.