Balanced development scenarios of rural areas

Abstract

Development scenarios of rural areas result from their diversification as well as the degree of inhabitants’ enterprise. The diversification is the result of history, relations between “the centre and the outskirts”, “the pension of the location”, the effects of work of local authorities as well as the inhabitants’ union. Moreover, enterprise as a specific element of the ability of undertaking actions, which turn into tangible solutions and economic enterprises influence an economic development. The participation of rural areas in the area of Poland and the fact that they are inhabited by 38% of the population, conditions the role of the space as the area in which two basic economic functions come together: agriculture and forestry, which are based on the usage of the space. Spatial differentiation results from the effects of internal and external factors, influencing the scenarios of development of rural areas in particular small regions. The majority of authors examining the problem of the development of rural areas emphasizes the significance of spatial conditions and special local features, while choosing the direction of development of a given region. Significant issues in this development are natural as well as social and economic conditions, which can be propitious to the creation of new employment and non-agricultural sources of income and simultaneously affect higher standard of living of inhabitants. Such level in the face of economy’s globalization can only be achieved through sustainable development. The work presents original and earlier unpublished scenarios of sustainable development of rural areas. These scenarios are based on the results of the analysis, which constitute a synthesis of theoretical suggestions and individual assumptions of the authors.