Problemy metodyczne oraz wyniki badań nad typologią funkcji obszarów wiejskich

Abstract

The aim of this article is to determine possibilities of performing typology of rural areas from the viewpoint of functions fulfilled by themThe analysis encompassed 288 rural administrative communes in 7 administrative provinces of Poland. The source materials come mainly from data provided by the National Census in 1978. With regard to some problems It was possible to present changes in functions performed by administrative communes over the years 1950-1978. The typology of these functions was performed on the basis of data concerning, first of all, the rural population’s employment and its sources of livelihood. Two approaches wore employed: a more general and a more detailed approach. In the former case, the share of population earning its living outside agriculture was a criterion in distinguishing between functional types of communes. This approach allowed to distinguish four functional types of administrative communes. In the latter case, a starting point was division of the employed according to three economic sectors. There were distinguished nine types of administrative communes with different employment combinations. The performed typology of rural areas revealed a very big differentiation of their functions. A prevailing part of all rural areas lost their agricultural character with a relatively greater role played there by non-agricultural functions. Transformations in functions performed by administrative communes were diversified with regard to their character and dynamics. This led to very big differentiation of rural areas both among administrative provinces and primarily within them. This involves very important consequences for provision of industrial goods and services for agriculture and for the population inhabiting these regions (or staying there temporarily). Such a situation calls, among others, for application of different solution in the field of provision of industrial and consumer goods and services for these regions.