Utilization of Land for Agricultural Purposes in Central Poland

The discussed area of Central Poland occupies 37,776,6 km2, i. e. 12,1 per cent of the total area of Poland. From the adr ministrative division point of view it encompasses administrative provinces of Kalisz, Konin, Łódź., Płock, Piotrków, Sieradz, Skierniewice, and Włocławek. Statistical analyses were based on the agricultural census from 1975. A favourable natural feature affecting the agriculture is the sculpture of the earth's surface being characterized with absence of major changes of level although it is scenically diversified by a quaternary glacier and a long vegetation period (from 209 to 216 days) with a favourable distribution of temperatures. The soil conditions are less favourable (predominance of not very fertile soils - 3rd and 4th bonitation class) similarly to precipitation (550 mm annually). The area under survey is characterized by a high percentage of land being used for agricultural purposes (arable land accounts for 72 per cent of total area), which exerts an influence on directions of land utilization (see table 3). The article discusees spatial distribution and intensity of basic crops in private farms, which are a predominant form of land ownership here. Applying B. Kopeć’s method there were determined 16 trends in utilization of arable land (grouped into 9 types) on the basis of the crops structure. This allowed to assess utilization of arable land and perform its cartographic interpretation (tabl. 4, Fig. 4).Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę