Koncepcja teoretyczna stref

The food economy on the national scale constitutes one of fundamental objectives in the state's economic policy. Till recently it was centrally controlled. And there are many factors pointing at the necess ity of its future inclusion in the national plan in conditions prevailing in the socialist economy. Implementation of the plan guidelines takes place within regional systems in accordance with the territorial differentiation of conditions and factors both in the produotion and consumption spheres. The real regionail compoments of the food economy do not always coincide with the spatial division of the country into administrative provinces but they are a consequence of spatial distribution of big food consumer markets represented by big towns and their agglomerations. In order to optimize provision of these markets with food with simultaneous minimization of transports costs there is postulated creation of „food regions" in Poland. Their focal points should be big consumer markets while their territorial coverage should determine demand for food. Such delimitation should be performed so as to leave at the disposal of each town and its agglomeration its own food-supply area. This area should be supplying amply, first of all, these products whose transport over longer distances is difficult or very expensive. Correct functioning of the postulated regions requires that relations between consumer and producer markets should not be restricted to flow of goods since they should also include co-operation ih the sphere of services and production. The concept of food zones for towns has been known in the scientific literature for a long time. It should, however, be constantly up-dated since technical, organizational, and economic progress leads continuously to changes in relations between the town and its food-supplying area. The thesis has been illustrated by a classical example of a highly urbanized and industrialized area spreading where the Rhein and the Main meet with such towns as Darmstadt, Frankfurt, Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Heildelberg, Mainz and Wiesbaden. Taking the example of Łódź Agglomeration, the author is trying to present for discussion a working model of practical adaptation of a theoretical concept delimitating food zones for agglomerated settlement systems in conditions of Poland's economy characterized with unsatisfactory economic performance.