Restructuring of small farms: evaluation of the effects of implementation

• Is the definition of the beneficiary or target group, the scope and conditions for granting aid, the access criteria, the manner of selecting operations, and the budget assumptions coherent with the established objectives?
• Do the contracted projects ensure the achievement of the programme's output indicators, and to what extent do they do so?

The evaluation employs a mixed methods approach, utilising both qualitative and quantitative secondary data. This approach includes an analysis of the programme assumptions (conditions for granting aid under the measure in question), an analysis of the status of contracting and disbursement of funds, and an examination of the types and objectives of implemented operations, characteristics of beneficiaries, material effects and spatial distribution.

The evaluation relies on several data sources. Qualitative data includes existing literature related to small farms and other relevant evaluation reports. Quantitative data consists of individual farm data collected and processed in the Polish Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) system, both published and unpublished data from the databases of the ministry of agriculture and rural development, Paying Agency and statistical data on small farms from Statistics Poland.

The evaluation reveals that the definition of beneficiaries for the analysed support programme, ‘restructuring of small farms,’ was not correctly formulated. The success rate for the implementation of the operations analysed was 1.26, indicating that the average economic size within this sample of farms increased by 26%, which meets the minimum required level.

However, the average effectiveness index of the implemented operations was 0.29 points, suggesting that the effectiveness of these operations was not high. Further analysis indicates that only about 30% of the farms received a favourable effectiveness rating.

Although the competitiveness of the surveyed farms improved slightly, it remained at a low level. The size of the fixed asset reproduction index also showed improvement. Analyses based on data from the Paying Agency demonstrate that the conditions offered under the described operation meet the needs of only a portion of small farms.

Overall, while some progress has been made in restructuring small farms under the programme, significant challenges remain. The effectiveness of the operations is limited, and the benefits do not adequately address the needs of all small farms. Continued efforts are necessary to enhance the relevance and impact of the programme for the broader agricultural community.