In the rural areas in Poland today there have been changes in the functional structure as well as changes within the particular functions. Out of a number of new functions the role of ecological, tourist and dormitory functions has been stressed in particular. On the other hand, changes within the existing functions have been mostly observed in agriculture, in which one function has been replaced by at least three functions: „traditional” agriculture, industrial agriculture and ecological agriculture. There has been a growing interrelationship between functions, which gives rise in the local environment to the relations that allow us to treat the areas under investigation in a systemic manner. Social and natural functions, similarly as the economic ones, generate jobs which causes them to have an economic dimension. The economic functions have an important social and natural character, since they lead to changes both in human relations and in nature.

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