Sustainability Transition in the Polish Agri-Food Sector—Why Does Organic Food Production Develop So Slowly?

The purpose of this research was twofold. Firstly, it aimed to indicate factors hindering and accelerating the development of organic food as a niche innovation in Poland. Secondly, to depict a phase and a pathway of sustainability transition in the Polish agri-food sector. The analysis was performed taking advantage of the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions, which has not been used to analyze the sustainability transition in Poland so far. Data were collected through a systemic literature review. Organic food production is a slow-growing niche in Poland, and the sustainability transition from the current dual agri-food regime consisting of small family farms and intensive food production is at a take-off phase. Organic food production struggles to become a regime with short food supply chains and agroecology, and the number of barriers it faces outweighs the number of enablers for its development. A de-alignment and re-alignment transition pathway can be observed. Which niche innovation becomes dominant depends on changes in regulations and on the development of both local marketplaces and online sales channels. The major conclusion is that in order for the transition in the Polish agri-food sector to happen, it should be better governed. Specifically, we need new policy instruments and governance mechanisms, new financing schemes, alternative and hybrid organizational and ownership structures, and institutional and transformative change approaches.