RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PROCESS OF LAND CONSOLIDATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN MUNICIPALITIES IN LOWER SILESIA

Abstract

One of the major problems in the CEE countries is land fragmentation. It varies considerably among these countries. Consolidation of agricultural land can be an effective solution of structural problems caused by land fragmentation. It should be remembered, however, that consolidation of agricultural land is a complex procedure covering not only the technical aspect of the design of a new governance structure itself, but also the related legal aspects. The implementation of land consolidation also requires the involvement of residents – participants of the procedure. In Poland, the problem with the implementation of the procedure of agricultural land consolidation concerns the entire area of the country. In three voivodships: Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, and Małopolskie, quite many consolidations have been implemented (over more than 20,000 ha). In other three voivodships, no consolidations of agricultural land have been implemented, namely the Zachodniopomorskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodships. Why? The article attempts to provide answers to the following questions: Does a correlation exist between the level of socio-economic conditions in municipalities and the scale of implemented consolidations of agricultural land in their areas? What is the level of socio-economic conditions in municipalities where agricultural land consolidations have been implemented? The study involved the analysis and synthesis of the literature, and research based on a spatial-statistical approach. The study area covered the municipalities of the Dolnośląskie Voivodship where agricultural land consolidations were implemented in the years 2004-2013.

Keywords

• land consolidation
• socio-economic conditions
• rural commune