A special edition of the Tyne Tees Television rural affair programme Landmark presented by Eric Robson which this week comes from Poland in the former Eastern Bloc. The programme looks at the economic hardships faced by small farmers in helping to feed country now that it has a democratically elected government rather than that under Communist rule. Title: Landmark Eric Robson presents a special edition of Landmark. He says that with the historic breach of the Berlin wall and political...

A special edition of the Tyne Tees Television rural affair programme Landmark presented by Eric Robson which this week comes from Poland in the former Eastern Bloc. The programme looks at the economic hardships faced by small farmers in helping to feed country now that it has a democratically elected government rather than that under Communist rule. Title: Landmark Eric Robson presents a special edition of Landmark. He says that with the historic breach of the Berlin wall and political unrest in Czechoslovakia they have come to the country which heralded these changes in the Eastern bloc, Poland. Having voted in Solidarity, a democratic government, the economy, after thirty plus years of a communist government, is in dire straits. Farming is in chaos and feeding the population in the future is going to be difficult. The programme heads to Chelm a small town south of Warsaw close to the Russian border in a poor part of the country. In a small hamlet near Chelm a woman begins her day at the family farm milking cows. She milks them by hand, a common occurrence across Poland. The farm has a small three-room house and 8 hectares of land. Her husbands first task of the day is to tether the farm cow near her feed. Before turning to agriculture, the farmer was an electrician and he bought the farm from the state in 1952. He says they have three cattle, two horses and four pigs, but he finds it hard to feed them as it is expensive. He has had to sell some animals, but due to inflation he could only buy a calf for the price of one heifer. These factors make farming difficult in such a volatile market. The family also keep hens for eggs and fresh poultry. Rural homes tend to have outside toilets and no running water; most have electricity but no telephone. The farmer explains that he can’t get a tractor or any tools because there to many obstacles, perhaps, he surmises it’s because he didn’t vote at elections. He didn’t believe the government’s propaganda and he still doesn’t! He has a bleak outlook for his future. The farmer heads down a field track on a cart pulled by two horses. He stops at a field and hitches the two horses to a plough that was being pulled behind the cart. He then starts ploughing the field. The farmer had hoped to save for a tractor, but the Polish economy makes it almost impossible to save as prices are increasing all the time, as are the attachments you would need to make a tractor a viable proposition. Eric Robson explains that state controlled collective farms have received most of the resources and machinery. Those who have machines to help them farm struggle to get spares, many newly manufactured farming machines go for export. The farmer’s daughter Helena, lives on the farm with her husband and son, currently she is on maternity leave. Everything they need is supplied by the farm except for bread and some meat. The film shows shelves of homemade and home-grown items in a basement storeroom. The farmer’s family don’t want to take on the farm when he retires, so he will most likely give it up and qualify for a state pension. He says young people don’t want to work in agriculture as it is not seen as a high-status line of work. Helena is not keen to take on such a small farm with no modern equipment, as the costs of updating are prohibitive. Title: Landmark Despite Poland's new democracy there are still challenges for getting the food supply to work efficiently. The country’s agricultural infrastructure is poor, young people want to work and live in the towns and cities. On the farm the farmer’s wife draws water from a well and puts in a water boiler in an outhouse. She then mashes homegrown potatoes in a trough where barley meal is mixed in to make feed for the farm’s pigs. The mash is put in bucket containing hot water, she carries the heavy buckets of feed to the pigs. Speaking on camera Helena says shew has hope for the future of the country. She would like to see more items in shops, but unemployment is a current national problem she fears the most. Helena cooks fish for her family on Friday evening. The farmer assesses the country’s problems. He says there are difficulties for everyone at present no matter what work they do. Politically, what he hears and sees on television suggests that leaders believe the country is doing little better, and he hopes the new Premier will do his best to improve things. The programme moves to the west of Poland to find out how the national drink, vodka is made. Potatoes are used to make the drink and at the distillery a horse and cart brings a new delivery. The potatoes are washed and weighed. In a basement barley malt is spread out on the floor, it is watered so it will sprout. Steam issues from large vats. Farmers collect the sludge that’s produced after distilling which is used for animal feed. A fermenting vat is checked so that the contents can move on to the distillation process. Eric Robson tests the drink along with a plate of traditional food, sausage and pickles. He signs off the end of the programme and the series with a toast and consumes his glass of vodka. He then has a sample of sausage and pickle. Credit: Camera Martin Graham Credit: Sound Wiesiek Znyk Credit: Grip Jacek Jackiewicz Credit: Sub-titles Jane Spencer Credit: VT Editors Amanda Baxter, Howard Beebe, Robin Sinton Credit: Assistant VT Editor Claire Storey Credit: Sound Postproduction Bran Jackson Credit: Interpreter and Associate Producer Janusz Ostrowski Credit: Executive Producer Chris Potter Credit: Producer Charles Bowden Credit: Written and Directed by Simon Lawson End Credit: Waterfront Productions for Tyne Tees Television© MCMLXXXIX