Ecological and Social Sustainability of Agricultural Production in the Roztocze Region

The level of sustainability of agricultural production in the surveyed holdings was assessed both in ecological and in social terms. The balance of reproduction and degradation of organic matter was prepared using the calculation method, with coefficients provided by the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG). The level of sustainability of organic matter in the soil was the most favourable in holdings that were the biggest territorially and economically and with the highest amount of subsidy and business income. They also had the greatest net commodity production. This group of holdings (area of 70 ha UAA) showed the highest level of decomposition of organic matter in crop production, but the overall balance was positive due to large-scale animal production. In contrast, small farms with lower production do not produce a sufficient mass of organic matter. Environmental sustainability was found in holdings using more than 30 ha of arable land that received subsidies in the amount over 100 thousand Polish zlotys and showed a balance of organic matter above 0.26 tons per hectare of arable land. Social sustainability was shown in households using more than 30 ha of arable land, where the level of mechanization reduced the workload (less than 2,000 working hours per employee per year and less than 100 man-hours per ha UAA).