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15th |
WIGRY NATIONAL PARK
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of "WIGRY"
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Joanna Górecka
Agriculture in the Wigry National Park
The Wigry National Park has not only forests and lakes within its boundaries but also over 2,200 hectares of meadows and farmland. An average size of farms in the Park amounts to 8–9 hectares. The natural and climatic conditions, such as a severe climate, a short vegetation period, low classes of soil valuation and postglacial, extremely diversified relief do not allow to conduct intensive production here. Family farms and production of little intensity are a tradition of local agriculture, which makes farmers look for other than agricultural sources of income.
The preservation of the variety of ecosystems requires that the Park’s area is kept in an unchanged condition. The popularization among farmers of the idea of balanced agricultural production and protection of biological diversity in the WNP is a goal of the project conducted by the Association “Conference of Nature Conservation Service of Green Lungs of Poland”. Another goal of the project is restitution of local farm animal breeds and renovation of orchards with local varieties of apple trees. The project is financed by the Small Grants Programme from the Global Environment Fund (GEF/SGP UNDP), also a motion for a grant has been submitted to the EcoFund Foundation. The implementation of the project is to serve the idea of eco-development of the region, particularly the area of the Wigry National Park.
A lot of farmers and members of their families work professionally running their own extra agricultural businesses. Over last years, more and more farmers have started agro-tourist businesses. Potatoes and cereals are commonly grown here. Tobacco is also grown on some farms in the Park. Mineral fertilization is insignificant, and manure is commonly used for this. Also any plant protection chemicals are limited to the really necessary ones. Cattle and pigs are bred on farms, but also horses and poultry are quite common. Goats are found very rarely. Unfortunately, there are no eco-farms in the Park. Small fields under cultivation, meadows and pastures scattered between forests and lakes enrich the Park’s landscape. They are also a habitat for many valuable, rare plant and animal species.
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