RELATIONS BETWEEN AGRICULTURAL AND NON-AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES ON FARMS LOCATED IN THE KRAKOW METROPOLITAN AREA

Abstract

The aim of the article is to assess the impact of non-agricultural activities conducted by a farmer on his agricultural activity. The subject of the research were various forms of economic activity developed on agricultural farms located in communes in the urbanized area of the Krakow Metropolitan Area. Field research was conducted in 2020-2022 among entrepreneurs and municipal councilors of randomly selected 21 territorial units. As a result of increasing urbanization and increasingly stronger suburbanization, contemporary transformations of urban spaces have changed the relationship between metropolitan cores and their surroundings. The transfer of metropolitan functions to the suburban zone is increasingly changing the conditions and possibilities of shaping spatial systems, including rural areas. Owners of farms located in the zones of direct influence of large cities attempt to de-agriculturalize their business or make efforts to diversify it. The relationship between agriculture and non-agricultural economic activity in entities operating in the metropolitan area is thought-provoking. The research results have shown that in most cases, non-agricultural activities have a destructive impact on the agricultural production of farms located in Krakow’s impact zones.