Public Awareness Programme, assumptions, activities, conclusions 19th September 2002 Ograniczanie zaniczyszczeń pochodzenia rolniczego - wzorcowa praktyka, Przysiek 16-20.09.2002

Objectives of the Public Awareness Programme 1. To make the pilot group sensitive to the project aims as well as ensure farmers’ participation in the project. 2. To promote better understanding and support to environmentally friendly farming practices amongst farmers and other social groups in Poland. 3. To improve the understanding of cross-links between agriculture and environment amongst the Polish public opinion (while paying special attention to the young). Ograniczanie zaniczyszczeń pochodzenia rolniczego - wzorcowa praktyka, Przysiek 16-20.09.2002

Activities in the pilot project area Regular mail survey “Good practice” newsletter

Activities out of the pilot project area In the media (without paid articles: 9 press information releases, 56 articles; 6 radio broadcasts) Competition for the students of secondary agricultural schools (invitations to 300 schools; 58 competition entries) Materials (a poster – calendar; leaflets about CDs, a film, a brochure)

Activities out of the pilot project area - cont. Meetings with local leaders, farmers, NGOs, village leaders: 63 in all (about 1800 participants)

Website www.ostw.pl

Number of hits on the website

Ecological awareness yes 29,4% (28,1%) no 63,1% (67,6%) hard to say Does agriculture in Poland lead to any significant environmental hazards? (baseline survey results are quoted in brackets) yes 29,4% (28,1%) no 63,1% (67,6%) hard to say 7,5% (4,3%) Can organic fertilisers (slurry, liquid manure, manure) pollute the environment? (base line survey results are quoted in brackets) yes 23,1% (15,5%) no 67,0% (77,8%) it depends 6,8% (2,9%) hard to say 3,2% (3,7%)

Ecological awareness Baseline level of ecological awareness (October 2001): [28,1 + (15,5 +2,9) ]/2 = 23,25 Ecological awareness – surveyed again in April 2002 : [29,4+(23,1+6,8)]/2 = 29,65

Failures Too much time needed to develop an indicator to measure ecological awareness level, operational importance of that measure List of discussion points

Project sustainability Key importance of „fair rules”, the information dissemination on the rules and reporting on the work progress („transparency”) – Role of information dissemination to better motivate farmers - information invokes trust and substitutes it Adapting some activities

Summary and recommendations Supplementary financing Readiness to take up measures to protect the environment Ecological awareness Knowledge on regulatory framework

Summary and recommendations Dual approach of the media (image of the countryside) - personal contact Materials - style (must not instruct in a patronising way - leaflets for farmers’ wives) Arguments to be put foreword: example - not rational persuasion

Summary and recommendations Role of information dissemination: Care to keep “fair rules” Assistance in taking rational decisions

Summary and recommendations Ecological awareness and operating knowledge knowledge measurement as an element of extension planning

Encuragement and incentives Readiness to take up environmental measures

Tasks Development and implementation of a research programme Identification of target groups and elaboration of campaign messages Development of Programme implementation Plan Development of communication skills and capacities / training activities Programme implementation Programme assessment