Change in agricultural output in Poland 1970-1990

Between 1970 and 1990, the growth rate of Poland's agricultural output was relatively positive and consistent, ranging between nine and -3 percent growth for most of this period, apart from 1980 where it fell to -11 percent. Throughout the communist era in Eastern Europe, Poland had the lowest rate of collective farming (a key element of communism) instead of allowing virtually all of its farmland to remain privately owned. While this was popular among Poland's citizens, the booming population, mismanagement, and the separation of the agricultural sector from the rest of the economy resulted in food shortages in later decades, despite the consistency of agricultural output.