THE DIVERSIFICATION OF SOURCES OF INCOME OF RURAL HOUSEHOLD IN POLAND

According to information on sources of income in non-farming households, in 2005 the average income per non-farming family was still less than in farming families. The income gap between the farming and non-farming families stems from the differences in the income structure. In non-farming households, unearned income sources (old age and disability pensions, unemployment benefits etc.) accounted for more than one-third of the total income, whereas the respective proportion for the farming population was only slightly more than one-fifth. The analysis of regional disparities in the level of income in non-farming families should take account of the fact that significant differences between specific rural areas are also observed within regions, where there are villages and districts characterized by advanced processes of multifunctional rural development, as well as areas where no adaptation to new economic conditions had taken place and the living standards remained extremely low.