The state farms disappeared, but their land remained. What happened to her?

For decades, they were one of the most characteristic elements of the landscape of the Polish People’s Republic. State farms (PGRs) not only employed thousands of people, but also managed huge tracts of land.

At the end of the 1980s, their area exceeded 3.5 million hectares. After the political transformation, the State Agricultural Farms disappeared, but the land did not evaporate. It passed into the hands of the state, and later it began to reach new owners and users.

The fate of employees of liquidated farms has been the subject of many analyzes over the years. However, much less attention was paid to what happened to the landed property itself. And the scale of this resource was huge – an area equivalent to over 10%. territory of Poland.

– Let us not forget, however, that state farms were not only places of work, but also entities managing a very large area. The Polish People’s Republic was characterized by a much lower degree of collectivization of agriculture than other satellite countries of the USSR. Despite this, at the end of the 1980s, State Agricultural Farms managed an area of ​​over 3.5 million hectares. We are talking about an area that constituted over 10%. territory of the country – notes Andrzej Prajsnar, expert of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.

After the liquidation of the State Agricultural Farms, their land was transferred to the state resources. Over time, a significant part was sold, transferred to other entities or put into use. What exactly happened to the millions of hectares?

The state took over the land of 1,666 state farms

The State Treasury Agricultural Property Agency played a key role in organizing this property. In the mid-1990s, it had an area of ​​4.45 million hectares. A significant part of it was land from liquidated state farms.

– In the mid-1990s, the then Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury had an area of ​​4.45 million hectares. About 84 percent this land came from 1,666 liquidated state agricultural enterprises (with an average area of ​​2,250 ha per one State Agricultural Farm) – points out Andrzej Prajsnar.

However, the history of the state resource began even earlier. At the turn of 1991 and 1992, the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury was established. The basis for its creation was the Act of October 19, 1991 on the management of agricultural properties of the State Treasury. The same legal act created the framework for the operation of the Agricultural Property Resource of the State Treasury.

– Well, at the turn of 1991 and 1992, the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury was established, which was the result of the Act of October 19, 1991 on the management of agricultural properties of the State Treasury. The same legal act defined what the State Treasury Agricultural Property Resource (ZWRSP) is. In addition to land from former state farms, the above-mentioned resource includes, among others: agricultural properties of the State Land Fund and other agricultural plots owned by the State Treasury – explains the expert of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.

Of the 4.75 million hectares, approximately 1.3 million remain

The scale of changes is best visible in numbers. In the mid-1990s, the Agricultural Property Resource of the State Treasury covered approximately 4.45 million hectares. Later, further plots were added, the area of ​​which was approximately 0.3 million hectares. In total, this gives approximately 4.75 million hectares of land that at one point belonged to ZWRSP.

Today the situation is completely different. About 1.3 million hectares remain in the state resources.

– However, currently the above-mentioned resource covers “only” about 1.3 million hectares. It is therefore worth asking the question what happened to the huge area totaling 3.45 million hectares, says Andrzej Prajsnar.

Data from KOWR, the successor of the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury and the Agricultural Property Agency, show that sales and paid transfer have so far covered approximately 2.75 million hectares. The remaining part was distributed free of charge.

The largest groups that received state land free of charge included:

• entities authorized under the Water Law Act, i.e. authorities responsible for public water management – 252,738 ha,

• State Forests – 157,533 ha,

• church legal persons, including pursuant to art. 70a of the Act of May 17, 1989 – 90,457 ha,

• local governments – 62,276 ha.

More than one million hectares are still leased by farmers

Although most of the land that was once a state resource has already been distributed, the state still has a huge area at its disposal. Of the approximately 1.32 million hectares remaining in the ZWRSP, the vast majority is currently used by farmers.

– As for the land remaining in the Agricultural Property Resource of the State Treasury, it is worth emphasizing that almost 80% of this area (approx. 1.05 million ha out of 1.32 million ha) is currently leased to farmers. Other land is under perpetual usufruct, permanent management, lending or usufruct (including non-contractual use). At the end of January 2026, approximately 169,000 hectares were waiting for further distribution, Prajsnar enumerates.

It is the last number that may be particularly interesting from the point of view of the future use of state-owned real estate. However, it does not automatically mean that all this land can be used for development. The way they are used is determined by, among others: their nature, purpose and applicable regulations and planning documents.

Most state land remains in western Poland

The history of state farms is still visible on the map of Poland. Not only in the memory of the inhabitants of former state farms, but also in the distribution of land that still remains in the Agricultural Property Resource of the State Treasury.

The map prepared on the basis of data as at the end of January 2026 shows how much state land remains in individual voivodeships. At the same time, it provides a good illustration of the regions where many state farms operated years ago.

– In the western part of Poland, the State Treasury still owns hundreds of thousands of hectares of land that once belonged to state farms. The West Pomeranian Voivodeship remains the leader in this respect, which will probably not surprise anyone. It is worth noting, however, that a lot of state agricultural land still remains in voivodeships less associated with state farms. We are talking about five voivodeships: Lower Silesia, Greater Poland, Lubusz, Pomerania and Warmian-Masurian – summarizes the expert of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.