Kierunki rozwoju szwajcarskiego rolnictwa

The study presents changes that the Swiss agriculture underwent between 1980 and 2007. It also discusses factors affecting the changes in the farms organisation, identifying two groups of such factors: internal and external. As regards external factors, special attention is paid to agricultural policy changes in 1993-2011. They consisted in the introduction of direct, decoupled payments, payments for certain organic services, elimination of export subsidies and reduction of customs duties on cereals and animal feed. The changes introduced in the agricultural policy have resulted in a considerable decrease in the number of farms and the increase in their scale of production. The study also describes directions of changes in the structure of farms. The scale of farms' production is expected to grow further thanks to the lease of land accompanied by a simultaneous diversification of production.