Multi-Annual Programme: "Economic and Social Factors Conditioning Polish Food Economy Development after Poland EU Accession". Research under the Multi-Annual Programme covering the years 2005-2009 was conducted pursuant to a Council of Ministers Resolution of May 2004, which determined the scope of public policy addressing agriculture and rural areas. The basic aim of the Programme was to investigate theoretical and empirical solutions of the problems concerning the means for improving the economic condition of the Polish food economy and enhancing its social and economic capacity, making effective use of access to EU and third country markets, taking advantage of the instruments of EU agricultural and structural policy, protecting the natural environment, and also achieving scientific, technical and organisational progress. The research findings supported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in its work of policy programming and implementation addressing the food economy and rural development. The research results were published by the Institute in its Multi-Annual Programme Reports and can also be freely accessed on its website. The research programme "Economic and Social Factors Conditioning Polish Food Economy Development after Poland's EU Accession" consisted of the following 8 topics broken up into 24 tasks covering the basic issues of social and economic development of agriculture, food economy and rural areas:

• The Polish food sector in the initial years of EU membership
  - Review of the condition of the Polish food economy sector after Poland's EU accession;
  - Assessment of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) impact upon agricultural markets;
  - Assessment of changes in competitiveness of Polish food producers on the common European market and on third country markets.
• Impact of EU Structural Funds upon the development of rural regions in the initial years of EU membership. A general concept of development support for the period 2007-2013, using Structural and Cohesion Fund resources
  - Analysis of implementation progress and impact of the Rural Development Programme (PROW) and Sector-Specific Operating Programme (SOP);
  - Rural development support concept for 2007-2013 engaging Structural and Cohesion Fund resources.
• Monitoring and analysis of food chain evolution in Poland
  - Monitoring of economic effects of quality assurance systems development and its impact upon Polish food industry competitiveness;
  - Analysis of mutual economic relations between different food chain elements;
  - Analysis of volumes and prices of imported agricultural and food products covered by the special protection clause.
• The position of Polish agriculture on the global food market
  - The impact of globalisation processes upon agricultural and rural development in Poland;
  - Socially sustainable agriculture;
  - National agricultural policy options for Poland within the CAP framework.
• Polish farms in the initial years of EU membership
  - Economic performance analysis of Polish agriculture;
  - Economic condition and business activities of various categories of Polish farms;
  - Adaptation processes in large area farms.
• Regional differentiation of agricultural development and its impact upon economic and social problems of rural areas
  - Factors behind marginalisation and competitiveness in the social and economic structure of Polish rural areas after EU accession;
  - The scope and consequences of differentiation of farm functions in regional perspective;
  - The role of non-farming activities in shaping new structures in rural areas;
  - Institutional factors of social and economic development of rural areas;
  - Highly commercialised farms in peasant farming;
  - "Agricultural land market" analysis.
• Gross margins for selected agricultural products and the classification of farms according to European Union standards
• Development and application of advanced analytical methods for ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of impacts of changes in the Common Agricultural Policy and macroeconomic determinants
  - Production growth and equilibrium in agri-food sector - development of analytical methods and their ex-post and ex-ante verification;
  - Analysis, forecasting and price risk management in the major agricultural markets - prospects for farmers income stabilization;
  - Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium for agricultural sector as a tool to support formulation of future national agricultural policy.