Departure from farming in Polish metropolitan areas – assessment of the scale and spatial differentiation

Purpose – The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the location of farms, the quality of natural conditions and fragmentation of agricultural holdings on the rate of landowners’ departure from agricultural activity, including cattle and pig farming. Research method – The study covered six provinces: Dolnośląskie, Małopolskie, Lubelskie, Mazowieckie, Pomorskie, Wielkopolskie. The considerations carried out were conducted in the system of districts for the years 2004-2016. Results – The largest decrease in the number of direct payment beneficiaries in the years 2004-2016 was recorded in the districts located on the outskirts of metropolitan areas. It was observed that in territorial units which obtained a higher evaluation of the quality of agricultural production space the regression in terms of the number of farms involved in animal production was significantly smaller, and the decrease in the number of single area payment beneficiaries was also smaller. In districts with relatively good natural conditions, faster departue from cattle and pig rearing was facilitated by the fragmentation of the area structure of farms. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – So far,the lack of detailed analyses of changes taking place in agriculture in Polish metropolitan areas has been noted, while this issue has been an important field of interest for researchers in the world for several decades. Therefore itmeans that work should be considered innovative. The results of the undertaken considerations constitute a significant contribution to explaining the reasons for the deagrarianisation of rural areas.