Polskie ogrodnictwo wobec wyzwań polityki klimatycznej – percepcja, wiedza i działania sadowników rejonu sandomierskiego

Horticulture and agriculture are sectors particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Most factors of agricultural production, including the length of the growing season, the amount and distribution of precipitation, the occurrence and timing of spring frosts, maximum and minimum temperatures, etc., are modified by the effects of climate change. At the same time, these sectors are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions: methane and nitrous oxide. Reducing this emission can be difficult, because it is permanently related to cultivation and breeding practices. Nevertheless, achieving climate neutrality and stopping climate change will not be possible without the participation of agriculture and horticulture in this process. The article presents: the challenges posed to agricultural production by the EU climate policy; the analysis of the Polish agricultural strategy in terms of its integration with the objectives of this policy; the proposed actions that should be implemented to ensure that Polish horticulture and agriculture can effectively participate in achieving climate neutrality; the results of research conducted among fruit growers from the Sandomierz region. The aim of the article is to discuss the challenges faced by Polish horticulture resulting from the EU climate policy and to present the results of research on the knowledge, awareness and opinions of a selected group of fruit growers concerning climate change and to assess their readiness to take action; 101 randomly selected fruit producers from the Sandomierz region participated in the study.