Geografie 2017, 122, 257-280
Spatial polarization of agriculture of Czechia during the integration into the European Union
The primary focus of Czech agricultural and rural geographers in the past decade was put on the regional impacts triggered by the transformation of agriculture and the influences of the Common Agricultural Policy on agriculture. Multifunctionality or spatial polarization of agriculture of Czechia remained the object of marginal scientific interest, despite the fact that such topics were largely discussed amongst foreign experts in connection with a theoretical transformation of the rural space. Therefore, relying on indicators of crop and livestock production, the ambition of the paper is to uncover the dynamics of spatial polarization of agriculture in Czechia. Its conclusions reveal an increasing spatial polarization of agriculture during the Czech integration into the European Union between regions with different natural conditions (areas with favourable conditions for agriculture and mountainous areas). It turns out, however, that while the fertile regions have been gradually specializing on crop production, spatial polarization in livestock production increases due to the rising role of mountainous areas.
Keywords
agricultural geography, spatial polarization, Agrocensus, natural conditions for agriculture, the Less Favoured Areas, Czechia.
