FARMERS’ AND RURAL HOUSEHOLDS’ INCOME, SYMPTOMS OF MATERIAL DEPRIVATION IN POLAND’S COUNTRYSIDE

The main goal of the article was to assess the level and changes of income in the urban and rural as well as farmers and other socio-economic groups households in the context of material deprivation phenomenon. The second aim was an identification of convergence process between variables describing the income situation of the surveyed groups of households. Additionally, income inequality problems in different types of household as well as multidimensionality of the deprivation concept were also mentioned. All data including average monthly disposable income and the Gini index were provided by Central Statistical Office of Poland. The convergence process was evaluated using an sigma-convergence index. The results showed that in real terms farmers and rural household income has increased, however one may not observed the sigma-convergence process between farmers and other socio-economic groups households, as well as rural and urban households. It was possible to observe a significant level of income inequality among farmers and rural households, which was furthermore increasing in the analyzed period