Jan K. Ardanowski - Social Advisor to the President
Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski was born on 11th February 1961 in Czernikowo, in a peasant family. He graduated from a Secondary School of General Education in Lipno, from a class majoring in humanities, then from full-time courses in higher education at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Technology and Agriculture in Bydgoszcz (now renamed: University of Technology and Life Sciences), where he was awarded master’s degree in 1985.
Back in high school, in 1980, he was arrested, together with a group of friends, by the SB (Polish communist secret police) for involvement in pro-independence activities. During his time at the university, he co-founded an Independent Students’ Association. Until the introduction of martial law, Mr Ardanowski headed the University Committee of Independent Students’ Association at the University of Technology and Agriculture.
Upon completing studies, Mr Ardanowski, together with his wife, took over a several-hectare-large family farm, which he has been running since. After 1989, as a farmer, he actively participated in the transformation of Polish cooperative movement by organizing farmers into common agricultural activity. He also co-founded Rural Chaplaincy in the Dioceses of Torun and Wloclawek. Between 1992 and 2002 – a deputy director of the National Council of Agricultural Counseling, established for the purpose of social supervision over state agricultural counseling.
After the 1995 reestablishment in Poland of the farmers` self government, he was elected, for a few consecutive terms, President of the Agricultural Chamber in Torun, and then President of the Kujawy and Pomerania Agricultural Chamber. From 1998 to 2002, he served as a councillor of the regional assembly for the Kujawy and Pomerania Region. From 2003 until 2007 Mr Ardanowski headed Farmers` Self-Government in Poland, in the capacity of the President of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers in Warsaw.
Mr Ardanowski completed courses and trainings, both in Poland and abroad, including those in the USA, Holland and France. He gave lectures and speeches at domestic and international conferences, i.a. in countries such as: Germany, France, Moldova, Cameroon and several times in Ukraine.
From November 2005 to January 2008, Mr Ardanowski performed the function of Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, where he supervised works to lay down the principles for the 2007 – 2013 Rural Areas Development Programme. On various occasions he was additionally assuming responsibility for areas such as: international contacts, including the ones with EU, functioning of agricultural markets, restructuring of Research and Development Units in the field of farming, functioning of counseling and education in farming. Mr Ardanowski initiated and actively participated in the establishment of a system for promoting Polish food across the world. He represented the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in numerous councils and committees, including the European Committee of the Council of Ministers.
Married, father of five children.