MICHAŁ ADAMSKI

As The Water Covers The Land

Agriculture is a key sector of Poland’s economy. It relies heavily on family farms striving to increase profitability by expanding their acreage and intensifying production. However, the excessive use of pesticides, reliance on monoculture crops, soil erosion, and industrial animal farming have all contributed to significant environmental degradation. The rural landscape undergoes profound changes — bird species, pollinators, and field-dwelling animals are disappearing. We clear trees and shrubs and drain wetlands and peat bogs to create more arable land.

We understand that agriculture has a determinant effect on climate change while being highly vulnerable to its effects, including droughts, heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and flooding. The ongoing water crisis further undermines the profitability of agricultural production. Additionally, Polish agriculture faces the challenge of operating with relatively scarce water resources.

The future of farming depends on the farmers’ ability to recognize the changes occurring in nature and rethink their approach to land management. In the face of rapid climate change, we need to turn to good practices from the past to support and restore the natural environment. Planting shelterbelts of trees across fields and retaining water through natural streams and ditches are foundational steps that Polish farmers should adopt and integrate into their work. When combined with modern technologies and advanced cultivation techniques, such practices can help mitigate the losses caused by climate and water-related crises.

The project “As the Water Covers the Land” is a dialogue between the past and the future. It connects the historical agricultural landscape - the heritage of Dezydery Chłapowski, who pioneered Poland’s 19th-century modern farming - with a contemporary vision of agricultural landscape design aimed at restoring ecological balance and enhancing biodiversity.

Part of the project was possible thanks to the funding from the budget of the Wielkopolska Region under the grant of the Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region in the field of culture.

Agriculture is a key sector of Poland’s economy. It relies heavily on family farms striving to increase profitability by expanding their acreage and intensifying production. However, the excessive use of pesticides, reliance on monoculture crops, soil erosion, and industrial animal farming have all contributed to significant environmental degradation. The rural landscape undergoes profound changes — bird species, pollinators, and field-dwelling animals are disappearing. We clear trees and shrubs and drain wetlands and peat bogs to create more arable land.

We understand that agriculture has a determinant effect on climate change while being highly vulnerable to its effects, including droughts, heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and flooding. The ongoing water crisis further undermines the profitability of agricultural production. Additionally, Polish agriculture faces the challenge of operating with relatively scarce water resources.

The future of farming depends on the farmers’ ability to recognize the changes occurring in nature and rethink their approach to land management. In the face of rapid climate change, we need to turn to good practices from the past to support and restore the natural environment. Planting shelterbelts of trees across fields and retaining water through natural streams and ditches are foundational steps that Polish farmers should adopt and integrate into their work. When combined with modern technologies and advanced cultivation techniques, such practices can help mitigate the losses caused by climate and water-related crises.

The project “As the Water Covers the Land” is a dialogue between the past and the future. It connects the historical agricultural landscape - the heritage of Dezydery Chłapowski, who pioneered Poland’s 19th-century modern farming - with a contemporary vision of agricultural landscape design aimed at restoring ecological balance and enhancing biodiversity.

Part of the project was possible thanks to the funding from the budget of the Wielkopolska Region under the grant of the Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region in the field of culture.
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