Land concentration processes in Poland in the light of D.C. North’s development paradigm

The subject of this paper is the process of land ownership consolidation. The primary goal of the research is to address the question of whether a connection exists between institutional conditions arising from various historical experiences in Polish regions and the dynamics of land ownership concentration processes in Poland, and whether this can lead to a spatially diversified model of development for Polish agriculture. The research was conducted based on a critical analysis of literature concerning institutional aspects of rural areas and data from the General Agricultural Censuses of 2010 and 2020. The research results are presented in the form of process mapping. As indicated by the conducted studies, land ownership concentration processes are advancing in Polish agriculture, leading to the emergence of industrial agriculture, which may contradict the paradigm of sustainable development. However, in spatial terms, these processes occur unevenly, and their scale and dynamics depend on different historical experiences. Concentration processes are primarily visible in western and northern Poland, regions where an almost complete population exchange occurred as a result of World War II, leading to a disruption of institutional continuity. In Southeastern and Central Poland, these processes occur more slowly. This may lead to the formation of a dual model of agricultural development in Poland, where, on the one hand, industrial agriculture will operate, striving for increased competitiveness through productivity growth, and, on the other hand, sustainable agriculture will develop (in Southeastern and Central Poland).