Analysis of Agrarian Structure in Poland in 1921 and 2002 Based on the Example of Selected Districts

Abstract

The objective of this article is to present the diversity of the agrarian structure in Poland based on the example of selected neighboring districts. The selected districts, which in the years 1795-1918 (the period when Poland’s area was divided and occupied by three invaders) were located in two different annexed territories, and since 1918 have been the territory of one country—Poland. The analysis of the variation of the agrarian structure employed the Gini coefficient and the average size of farms in individual districts in 1921 and in 2002 was calculated. The obtained results allowed to conclude that the agrarian structure in Poland is considerably spatially differentiated. Undoubtedly one of the reasons is the complex history of Poland’s borderlines. The agrarian structure for selected districts which belonged to the same annexed territory is not significantly different. However, in the case of districts belonging to different annexed territories (even for neighboring districts), the differentiation of the agrarian structure was substantial and it still remains so.