CHANGES IN LAND USE IN POLAND – COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PERIOD 2002–2010

Land is the most important means of production in agriculture. Valuation of agricultural land resources takes into account the acreage and land quality. Changes in the land use structure are stimulated by many factors. It ought to be remembered that the farmland also provide space for purposes other than agriculture or forestry. The paper presents those changes in the land use structure in Poland which took place in the period of 2002–2010. On the basis of the data by the Central Statistical Office [GUS] and its Agricultural Censuses of 2002 and 2010 the authors propose an agricultural holding territorial importance indicator, land location indicator, change indicator for agricultural land turned into non-agricultural land and analyse the total area of agricultural holdings. The major determinants (internal and external factors) of those changes are also described. The aim of the study is to analyse the changes taking place in the Polish agriculture. They were taken into account natural, ecological and urban determinants as well as to the Common Agricultural Policy. The analyses were conducted at the level of voivodships and poviats and were contained agriculture land and non-agriculture land. The area of agricultural land is decreasing as it is being dedicated for other – non-agricultural – purposes, especially for housing purposes.