Abstract-In 2011 the Marshal Office of Małopolska Voivodeship decided to evaluate the vulnerability of soils to water erosion for the entire region. The quantitative and qualitative assessment of the erosion risk for the soils of the Małopolska region was done based on the USLE approach. The special workflow of geoinformation technologies was used to fulfil this goal. A high-resolution soil map, together with rainfall data, a detailed digital elevation model and statistical information about areas sown with particular crops created the input information for erosion modelling in GIS environment. The satellite remote sensing technology and the object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach gave valuable support to this study. RapidEye satellite images were used to obtain the essential up-to-date data about land use and vegetation cover for the entire region (15,000 km 2 ). The application of OBIA also led to defining the direction of field cultivation and the mapping of contour tillage areas. As a result, the spatially differentiated values of erosion control practice factor were used. Both, the potential and the actual soil erosion risk were assessed quantificatively and qualitatively. The results of the erosion assessment in the Małopolska Voivodeship reveal the fact that a majority of its agricultural lands is characterized by moderate or low erosion risk levels. However, high-resolution erosion risk maps show its substantial spatial diversity. According to our study, average or higher actual erosion intensity levels occur for 10.6 % of agricultural land, i.e. 3.6 % of the entire voivodeship area. In 20 % of the municipalities there is a very urgent demand for erosion control. In the next 23 % an urgent erosion control is needed. Our study showed that even a slight improvement of P-factor estimation may have an influence on modeling results. In our case, despite a marginal change of erosion assessment figures on a regional scale, the influence on the final prioritization of areas (municipalities) according to erosion control needs is visible. The study shows that, high-resolution satellite imagery and OBIA may be efficiently used for P-factor mapping and thus contribute to a refined soil erosion risk assessment.

This research paper presents the results of analyses that address the direction in which the issue of land use in Malopolska has been heading in recent years. The authors formulated the thesis that changes occurring in the use of agricultural land are advanced and, despite its legal protection, this land is continuously subjected to permanent conversion to non-agricultural use year by year. Verification of the thesis was carried out using taxonomic analyses. As a result, it was proven that as much as 68% of the land converted to non-agricultural use in the study period was earmarked for residential use. Importantly, as much as 19% of these areas are of the best quality classes, i.e., classes I and II, which account for a mere 7% of all agricultural land in Malopolska. Another 79% of the converted agricultural land belonged to the mid class, i.e., class III, which-at the time of writing-represents only 26% in the Malopolska Province. This data demonstrates that the best lands of the Malopolska Province, which belonged to classes I, II and III (i.e., top quality arable soils), were irreversibly degraded by their conversion to non-agricultural use. The paper proposes systemic solutions supporting the decision-making process of administrative bodies aimed at agricultural land protection.Keywords: sustainable development; agricultural land; conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural use; changes of agricultural land use

The space of rural areas is subject to constant changes in terms of structure and development. The area structure of rural areas, especially in the south and east of Poland, remains unsatisfactory. The weakness of Polish agriculture is the fragmentation of the area structure of its farms; this was due to historical, natural, economic and social factors and, to a large extent, tradition. Therefore, the current status of agricultural land in Poland requires carrying out many arrangement and agricultural operations. In Ukraine, there is also no coherent IT system that would allow for the efficient management of rural space and agriculture. In order to conduct a coherent rural development policy in the region, the self-governments in Poland and in Ukraine are facing the need to expand the existing spatial information infrastructure system. This study is a proposal to expand the spatial information system with elements related only to agricultural surveying. To this end, the concept of building the Agricultural Geodesy Module was created as an element of the region’s spatial information system. The Agricultural Land Surveying Module will be an information repository and will enable powering the region’s database. Data supplying the repository will be divided into source data, operational data, metadata and final studies, such as analyses or reports. These data will not only be used by the local government of the region, but will also be made available to external users.

SummaryRural management works are carried out for the purpose of creating more favourable conditions for management and use of agriculture areas. The activities are fundamental to comprehensive development of a village, farm and the protection and maintenance of natural environment. The principal goal of these works is the improvement and development of the structure of rural areas. The paper indicates priority areas for planning of rural management works and especially for land consolidation works. The research was based on The programme of rural management works in the Kozłów commune [Program prac urządzeniowo-rolnych... 2011] and on geodesic and planning materials. Combination of various kinds of data obtained at District and Voivodeship offices of geodesy and cartography and their appropriate analysis have proved effective in identification of areas in the Kozłów commune most urgently requiring the improvement of the use and ownership structure of lands and in defining the areas where the current land use structure should be transformed. The condition of reasonable planning of rural management works, leading to an indication of priority areas for this kind of activities are -on the level of voivodeships -the consistent and synchronized spatial databases founded on the land and property register. The analysis of geographic, natural, environmental, socio-economic, demographic conditions and of cartographic documents with the use of GIS tools led to the identification of three precincts: Przybysławice, Bryzdzyn and Wierzbica, urgently requiring rural management works. Keywordsagricultural structure • rural development • land and property register • agricultural geodesy