The Specificity of the Activity of Educational Farms in Poland
Purpose: The study's subject was a poorly recognized and relatively new initiative in the Polish countryside, the educational farms. The purpose of the work is to present the essence of educational farms and the idea of their creation and familiarize the functioning of farms associated with the National Network of Educational Farms. Design/Methodology/Approach: We used the survey technique in the research. We sent the questionnaire to the owners of all educational farms in Poland. We received a return from 79 farms. Findings: The main motive for establishing an educational homestead was the desire to arouse interest in the specificity of living and working in the countryside and rural folklore and traditions. The most important benefit was the income and the pleasure of working with children. The difficulties mainly were the lack of funds for establishing and developing an educational farm. The most frequently implemented goal was an education in the field of environmental and consumer awareness as well as the cultural heritage of villages. The participants of the classes were mainly children of pre-school and school-age. Classes on the cultural heritage of the countryside and arts and crafts enjoyed the greatest interest. Practical Implications: The presented results may be an inspiration and a valuable hint for farm owners who are considering or are at the stage of creating/modifying an educational farm as an undertaking to diversify their agricultural activity. Originality/value: The presented issues are very rarely undertaken in research. Existing studies were very general and not very detailed or were undertaken on a small research sample.