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Rural areas are characterised by a considerable diversification of their natural, demographic, historical, spatial and socio-economic conditions. These conditions caused disproportions in the density of entities of national economy in the rural areas of North-eastern Poland. The main aim of article is the presentation of both the growth of non-agricultural activity in the rural areas of the Warminsko-Mazurskie and Podlaskie Voivodships in 2014 and the dynamics of changes in relation to 2004. Upon the analyses it was concluded that the density level of entities of national economy and the dynamics of change in entities of national economy featured by large disproportions across rural communes. The biggest changes characterised mainly the rural communes lying near the largest towns in the region: Olsztyn, Elblag and Bialystok. The highest dynamics of increase among the rural communes of North-eastern Poland were mainly recorded in the Warminsko-Mazurskie voivodship; whereas the most noteworthy decrease in the number of entities of national economy was in the rural communes situated along the Eastern border of the Podlaskie voivodship, which is the reflection of their poor economic activity. For a more profound analysis of the spatial distribution of the growth of entrepreneurship, the study results were juxtaposed to the existing demographic potential of the rural areas in North-eastern Poland. The results of the study revealed the following tendency: the higher the demographic potential of rural communes was, the more favourable indicators of growth of entrepreneurship appeared. It proves that demographic potential of workforce has a considerable impact on the development of the rural areas of North-eastern Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of education completed by farm managers plays an important role in agricultural development. The main aim of this article was to describe the structure of and changes in the educational status of farm managers in Poland in 2002-2010. The analysed managers had completed the following levels of education: university degree in agriculture, secondary school of agriculture or agricultural college, vocational school of agriculture, or a training course in agriculture. The influence of environmental and non-environmental factors was taken into account in the analysis to maximize the reliability of the spatial distribution of data. It was concluded that in both 2002 and 2010, less than 50% of Polish farm managers had completed some form of formal training in agriculture The progress in agricultural technology and production methods creates a demand for highly qualified farmers, thus, education plays an increasingly important role in the modern agricultural sector. An analysis of the educational status of farm managers in Poland in 2010 and the changes observed between 2002 and 2010 clearly point to regional differences. The educational status of farm managers varied significantly across Polish regions, and the observed spatial distribution patterns were determined mainly by historical events and agri-environmental conditions. The educational attainment of farm managers was also positively correlated with the absorption rate of the EU funds, which implies that farm managers with higher educational status are more successful in acquiring the EU funds for Polish agricultural businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the level of economic development of rural areas of Northern Poland in four voivodeships: Zachodniopomorskie, Pomorskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie and analyses the processes of internal (regional) convergence and divergence. To analyse convergence the divergence factor was used, and to assess the level of economic development - the synthetic Wojewodzic indicator. The indicators were calculated on the basis of the Regional Data Bank for the year 2011. The level of development and the processes of convergence and divergence are analysed by territorial units at the level of NUTS-4 (poviats). The analysis of regional disparities (divergence) was determined by the rate of unemployment. Spatial analysis of the level of regional development was based on the following indicators: the level of unemployment, as well as entrepreneurship and the income level of the inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]