Community education and integrated organization of rural areas based on land consolidation processes in Poland

Any activities aimed at rural area development should not disregard the inhabitants who are "the tools" that implement given mechanisms. To a large extent, the effectiveness of social activities is determined by the participants’ expectations towards the projects and their knowledge of the subject. Land consolidation projects are the ideal tools for rural development. Land consolidation may be described as the planned readjustment of land ownership patterns with the aim of creating larger and more rational land holdings. Other goals of land consolidation may include infrastructural improvements and the implementation of developmental and environmental policies. Members of the local community participating in the project should have sufficient knowledge about both positive and negative outcomes of their actions. Surveyors, designers, the relevant literature and guidebooks communicate only the positive results to farmers and other project participants to enhance their interest in land consolidation. This article discusses both positive and negative aspects of rural land consolidation and the opportunities and threats associated with consolidation measures. The environmental, social and economic prerequisites for consolidation are presented. Land consolidation measures will be evaluated in a SWOT analysis. Our findings should be presented to members of the local community to increase assist them in the decision-making process. Qualitative methods, in particular analytical, topological and identification methods were used to accomplish the above research tasks.