What’s happening in my country

Poland

This page contains specific information about the planning and implementation of smart villages in Poland. The information aims to orient people on policy planning, key contacts and resources on smart villages. However, it neither aims to be fully comprehensive, nor necessarily reflects the official government or European Commission position.

Explore how smart villages are being implemented in Poland.

You can also visit the page of the Smart Rural 21 selected village: Tomaszyn

Key CAP contact(s) :

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Department of Common Rural Policy
Key contact(s) :
Joanna Gierulska (Director of the Department)
Email : sekretariat.wpr@minrol.gov.pl
Website : https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/departament-wspolnej-polityki-rolnej

Support for Smart Villages under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

  • Two government positions were created in relation to the CAP in the past years: the Council of Ministers document ‘Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 – Polish priorities’ (16 May 2017) and the position of the ‘Government of the Republic of Poland – The future of agriculture and food production’ (25 January 2018).
  • To date, no specific provisions on Smart Villages are noticeable in the official CAP documents in Poland.
  • Two calls for projects on Smart Villages took place in the second half of 2019 and in 2020-2021. Institutions involved in the organisation (including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Polish Rural Network, Policy Academy of Sciences) of the calls are also involved in the process of formulation of the new CAP in Poland.

Further information on CAP & smart villages :

Village Renewal as an Important Element of Integrated Rural Development ( 11/2016 ) - Jacek M. Pijanowski (Language : Polish)

Key NRN contact(s) :

Polish National Rural Network
Key contact(s) :
Paweł Krzeczunowicz (Director)
Email : p.krzeczunowicz@cdr.gov.pl
Website : http://ksow.pl/

Activities of the National Rural Network (NRN) on smart villages

  • The Polish NRN (Krajowa Sieć Obszarów Wiejskich) is managed by the Agricultural Advisory Centre, a state-controlled institutionsubordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The network provides information and support to villages, rural areas and institutions on several initiatives and programmes, such as LEADER/CLLD, the evaluation of the Rural Development Programme and other activities. The network also acts as the secretariat of an intermediary platform between the Ministry and the LAGs.
  • The Polish NRN actively took part in the organisation of two editions of the “My Smart Village” call for projects, organised by the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
  • The NRN members have been active in European level activities (the ENRD thematic group on Smart Villages, cooperation with Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian and French NRNs, etc.)

Key contact(s) :

National Network of Village Renewal and Development (PSORW) / Polska Sieć Odnowy i Rozowju Wsi)
Website : http://www.psorw.pl/7/aktualnosci.html

Support provided through other national/ regional policies & initiatives

The Regional Village Renewal Programme in Poland is, among others, supporting the Polish Network of Village Renewal and Development since 2013. The Network aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practices on village development.


Key organisations & contacts

On 11 March 2013, 36 village mayors and mayors from 15 local self-government voivodships in Strumień in the Śląskie Voivodship, signed an agreement establishing the Polish Network for Rural Renewal and Development. Their goal is to create a platform for cooperation to preserve existing values and create new important ones ​​in Polish rural areas.


The Institute is an important public body which embraces various scientific fields of rural development. It is a leading interdisciplinary research organisation focused on monitoring the ongoing socio-economic and environmental challenges facing rural areas.

Key activities :
  • The Institute conducts numerous research projects on rural and agricultural issues for public institutions, business and non-governmental organisations.
  • In the context of the ‘smart villages’ concept, the Institute was the originator and organiser of the competition ‘My Smart Village’ .



Further key resources

Life in Tomaszyn
Piotr Ostaszewski - Ostoja Natury , E40 ( 15/12/2023 )
This short film presents the Life in Tomaszyn in Poland (selected Smart Rural village) through the work of the local leader and inspirational figure, Piotr Ostaszewski. Piotr is managing Ostoja Natury, an agricultural cooperative located in Tomaszyn a small village in Warmia and Mazury in Poland. His commitment to regenerative agriculture and building the local community is inspirational for many others.
Language : English

Smart Villages Taskforce Poland
Andrzej Halasewicz ( 11/05/2023 )
At the 1st European Smart Villages Pilot Observatory meeting on May 11th Andrzej Halasewicz presented the taskforce activities in Poland.
Language : English

Lighthouse factsheet of Tomaszyn
Ostoja Natury ( 2023 )
The factsheet outlines Tomaszyn’s smart journey as a lighthouse community in ‘Agriculture and Food’ under the Smart Rural 27 project. Ostoja Natury in Tomaszyn focuses on achieving a high degree of circular economy, emphasizing regenerative agriculture, efficient production, waste-free housing, and sustainable power industry (including biogas plants). The community’s goal is to regenerate topsoil, increase biodiversity, improve the water cycle, and create a resilient, environmentally conscious earthship village for a sustainable and affordable community.
Language : English

Report | 1st Taskforce meeting in Poland
( 09/03/2023 )
The resource contains the report of the 1st taskforce meeting in Poland, including the participants list and presentations.
Language : English

Polish Taskforce Action plan
( 08/12/2022 )
The purpose of the Taskforce in Poland is to help in using the opportunities created by CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, exploring the possibilities, and expanding the scope of financing the Smart Villages concept from various European funds and national sources and initiating technical assistance for interested parties. To achieve this purpose the Taskforce will be involved in preparation of the guidebook on Smart Village concept preparation and implementation in Poland. In addition, the guidebook could give some advice how to tackle with both on digital aspects of smart village and environment and climate issues.
Language : English

Tomaszyn BioTech Conference & Smart Villages
Ostoja Natury , E40 ( 12/09/2021 )
A recording of Tomaszyn’s BioTech Conference of 12 September 2021, Tomaszyn, Poland. The event discussed topics such as the future of agriculture, regenerative agriculture, support for innovation in Poland and the EU. It also featured presentations of the Smart Rural 21 project’s villages
Language : English

Smart villages: Revitalising Rural Services
European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP) ( 09/07/2018 )
A video with Polish subtitles produced by the ENRD Contact Point summarising what a ‘smart village’ represents from different perspectives.
Language : English, Polish

6th Smart Rural Café, Tomaszyn (Poland)
Piotr Ostaszewski - Ostoja Natury ( 07/07/2021 )
During the 6th Smart Rural Communities Café, Piotr Ostaszewski from Tomaszyn talks about how regenerative agriculture and smart ecological production methods implemented in Ostoja Natury – their cooperative formed and settled in Tomaszyn – to become the driving force of change of their village. He explains how their BIO HUB – from farm to fork short chain distribution strategy – was carried out in Olsztynek, Warmia and Mazury Region.
Language : English

Smart Village Strategy of Tomaszyn (Poland)
Ostoja Natury ( 12/2020 )
The Smart Village Strategy of Tomaszyn has been developed in the context of the ‘Preparatory Action for Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century’ project funded by the European Commission.

Support provided by the Smart Rural 21 project to Tomaszyn (Poland)
Aldo Vargas ( 14/09/2021 )
A presentation at the first regional workshop of the Smart Rural 21 project (Tomaszyn, Poland)  on the support provided to Tomaszyn by the Smart Rural 21 project.
Language : English

Smart Villages support in Poland
Joanna Gierulska - Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( 14/09/2021 )
A presentation at the first regional workshop of the Smart Rural 21 project (Tomaszyn, Poland) on the support framework provided to Smart Villages in Poland.
Language : English

‘My Smart Village’ competition
Polish National Rural Network , Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development – Polish Academy of Science ( 2019 – 2021 )
Two editions of the competition were organised  in 2019 and 2020-2021 by the Polish NRN and managed by the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development.
Language : Polish

Publication on Smart Villages
AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY CENTRE IN BRWINÓW – Warsaw Branch ( 11/2019 )
The publication presents the idea of Smart Villages in the current stage of implementation in Poland, compared against selected examples from abroad. The publication was produced as part of the project ‘International workshop on Smart Villages as an effective way to tackle key rural challenges’, implemented under the NRN Operational Plan 2018-2019.
Language : Polish

The cooperative model: The Polish model for reviving a declining rural area
Piotr Ostaszewski - Ostoja Natury ( 24/02/2021 )
A presentation provided at the 2nd Smart Village Academy of the Smart Rural 21 project during the working group session about the Ostoja Natury cooperative. Ostoja Natury is an agricultural ecosystem of tomorrow, the effect of a synergy of traditional thinking and a technological approach. Methods tested over the ages, such as crop rotation, raised seedbeds, moon wood or home recipes are refreshed and implemented using technological innovations of our times. “While creating Refuge of Nature’s ecosystem, we are inspired by nature’s already existing solutions. Just as in a prehistoric forest circuit, waste is nonexistent, and our goal is to create an ecosystem designed to provide economic efficiency with minimal influence on the environment.”
Language : English

Summary Highlights of the Smart Village Strategy of Tomaszyn (Poland)
Piotr Ostaszewski - Ostoja Natury ( 12/2020 )
The Summary Highlights of the Smart Village Strategy of Tomaszyn has been developed in the context of the ‘Preparatory Action for Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century’ project funded by the European Commission.
Language : English

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