THE ANALYSIS OF THE AGRARIAN STRUCTURE IN POLAND WITH THE SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF THE YEARS 1921 AND 2002

D. Walczak, M. B. Pietrzak

Abstract: The subject of the paper concerns the spatial differentiation of Poland’s agrarian structure and its volatility over time. The agrarian structure is very important if considered from the perspective of the agricultural policy, since it determines the economic situation in the agricultural sector. The size of agricultural farms conditions, for instance, farmers’ income levels, or farms’ productivity. On a country’s scale, the adequate agrarian structure ensures the maintenance of agricultural production at an appropriate level, which translates into the country’s food safety. A characteristic feature of Poland’s agriculture, in the aspect of the agrarian structure, is its dispersion and significant spatial differentiation. Over years, the agrarian structure in Poland has been affected by a lot of various factors. However, the spatial differentiation of the agrarian structure has remained unchanged despite the implementation of various policies in the past. This lasting nature of the agrarian structure results, among other things, from economic, social, and historical factors. The analysis of the spatial differentiation of the agrarian structure constitutes one of the arguments in favour of the verification of a research hypothesis formulated by the authors. According to the research thesis, the agrarian structure is a long-term and lasting structure. Also, the authors indicate the importance of the consideration of a selected country’s agrarian structure due to the planned agricultural policy concerning the implementation of vital changes in the agricultural sector.

Keywords: agrarian structure; long-term structure; Poland; spatial dependency

Date published: 2017-10-10