Conception of integrated agricultural and rural development in the light of geographical studies

The conception underlying the Common Agricultural Policy today is that of integrated development of agriculture and rural areas. It emphasises the need to harmonise economic, social and natural aspects of the operation and development of the countryside, and to reconcile individual interests of its inhabitants with general goals. It rests on the assumption of a holistic operation of rural space, in opposition to a sectoral approach analysing each aspect of rural life and farming in isolation. The new approach to agricultural and rural development has caused the Community policy towards agriculture to be gradually modified. As a result, the sectoral aspect tends to weaken in local and regional development, while the territorial aspect now figures more and more prominently. In Poland, the research based on the conception of integrated agricultural and rural development, identifying various facets of the transformation of rural space and prospects of its development, started to be conducted on a wide scale after Poland's accession to the European Union. The great cognitive and applied value of studies that have appeared in agricultural and rural geography has made it plain that it is necessary to regularly monitor changes occurring in rural areas and spatial differences in them, especially in the light of the conception of integrated agricultural and rural development.Artykuł przedstawia koncepcję zintegrowanego rozwoju rolnictwa i wsi oraz wyniki badań prowadzonych w ramach geografii rolnictwa dotyczących zmian w przestrzeni wiejskiej w Polsce, które nastąpiły po przyjęciu tej koncepcji