The adoption of information and сomunication technology in Polish rural areas

Abstract

Agriculture has played an important role in the development of rural areas and generally in the global economy. In Poland, agriculture still dominates land use. Nevertheless, the relatively low share of agriculture in GDP indicates that the potential of existing resources is not fully used. For this reason, it is crucial to take steps in order to stimulate effectiveness of rural areas. The application of ICTs is one of various and persistent means to positively react to rural underdevelopment, poverty alleviation and social exlusions. This article concentrates on the access to the main ICTs in Poland, with the main focus on its rural areas. It explores the potential contribution of ICT to the life standard of farmers and, indirectly, to the effectiveness of their work. Therefore, the main variables characterizing the computerization process are analyzed and then compared to the EU-27 average. Although the benefits of ICTs in agriculture are recognized, the popularization of ICTs in rural areas in Poland is still below the EU-27 average and is actually neglected. However, it can be observed that all of variables characterizing the ICTs are in positive trend and the gap between cities and rural areas is narrowing every year.