POST-ACCESSION STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN AGRICULTURE IN ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKIE PROVINCE – SELECTED ASPECTS.

Introduction/background: The paper has considerable cognitive value for the increase of knowledge in one of the areas of structural transformations in agriculture and rural regions, namely in tendencies regarding the varying number of farms and the size of utilised agricultural areas. Aim of the paper: The purpose of this paper is a synthetic evaluation of selected aspects of structural transformations observed in agriculture in Świętokrzyskie Province in the period 2005-2018. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in a number of poviats, for which original data were presented as regards agriculture and farming in Świętokrzyskie Province, in the dynamic perspective, for the period 2005-2018. The actual data were obtained from the the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture in Poland. The paper uses the basic measurements applicable in statistical analysis, dynamic analysis and cause-and-effect analysis. Results and conclusions: Based on the conducted study, it was found that the area of farms was reduced by 2.53% in 2005-2018 in Świętokrzyskie Province; the largest reduction was observed in the following poviats: Skarżysko (15.93%) and Kielce (13.3%); However, much more serious changes were noted in the number of farms. These changes were observed in all poviats, and the reduction in the number of farms was 56.1% across the whole region. In 2005-2018, there was a marked increase in the average size of an individual farm, from 2.8 ha to 6.1 ha, which may be seen as a major change as compared to previous tendencies in the agrarian structure of farms in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]