The Development of Agro-Tourism as an Element of Multifunctional Development in Rural Areas

• Autorzy: Jacek Pieczonka
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Polish agriculture is characterised by its small scale. Although some favourable changes have taken place in the absolute number of private farms of various sizes, the spatial structure of agriculture has not changed significantly. The share of farms of 15 ha and over has increased, while the share of farms with an area of 5-7 ha, 7-10 ha and 10-15 ha has declined. However, these changes are proceeding very slowly. The organisational changes of State farms, which started at the beginning of the 1990s, created a elear opportunity for enlarging the size of private farms. However, only a few could make use of this opportunity - those who possessed funds to buy land. In the period 1990-2001 the average farm size inereased systematically from 7.1 ha in 1990 to 8.0 ha in 2001. This positive transformation in the structure of agriculture has not caused an improvement in efficiency. The regress in agriculture worsens the problem of unemployment, which has been inereasing sińce 1997. In 1998 there were 835,000 registered unemployed in the countryside, among which there were 31,000 farm owners. However, according to the agricultural census from 1996, partly or completely hidden unemployment amounted to almost 900,000 people. Thus, total unemployment in the countryside may be over 1.7 million people, with an upward trend [Dach and Karczewska, 2000]. Excess employment in agriculture also influences farmers' income. According to the GUS (the Polish Central Office of Statistics) real income in private farming declined by 9.1% in 1996 and by 8.3% in 1997. Although gross and market agricultural production measured in current prices inereased during the 1990s, profitability did not inerease. A way to reduce the negative economic effects of the smali scalę of many farms may be horizontal integration, among other things by the creation of producer groups. However, there are morę opportunities outside agricultural production which many farmers can use to remain in business. (fragment of text)

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Agrotourism; Rural areas; Rural development

PL

Agroturystyka; Obszary wiejskie; Rozwój obszarów wiejskich

• Czasopismo: Economic and Environmental Studies
• Rocznik: 2004
• Numer: Vol. 6
• Strony: 217--224

Twórcy

autor

Jacek Pieczonka

• Opole University, Poland

Bibliografia

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