Summary:

Modernization of agriculture, whose gravest problem is labour surplus and connected with it dispersed area structure, among others, relies on diminishing employment. Abandoning agriculture cannot imply migration from rural areas. Therefore, employment opportunities should be created for those who would abandon work in agriculture but would remain in the country. The main stipulation in the considerations of rural areas future is multifunctional development, whose rate and trends depend on many factors. Multifunctionality of rural areas resolves itself to proper, multidirectional utilization of rural potential determined by the above mentioned factors to create new, off-farm jobs. It should be emphasized that local specificity particularly socio-economic conditionings, play a crucial role in the process of multidirectional rural development.
The main research problems discussed in the paper focused on the analysis of the rural areas environment effect on multifunctional development of these areas. Verification of the assumed research hypotheses resolved itself to answers to four questions:
1. Are there any differences in the level of multifunctional development of communes and on what factors do they depend?
2. Does the impact of multifunctional development factors depend on current level of multifunctionality?
3. Do the rural dwellers have various preferences concerning multifunc-tional development and what do these preferences depend on?
4. Do the opinions of agricultural holding owners about the future of these holdings (and in consequence further employment on farm) differ depending on the farm area and owner's level of education?
The studies involved 97 communes situated in the świętokrzyskie voivodship. For the study purposes, four groups of measurable factors of multifunctional development were identified: environmental, social, infrastructural and economic. Diversification of these factors in individual communes causes diversification in the trends and rate of multifunctional development. Initial formal and statistical analysis allowed identifying 20 quality indicators of rural areas and 4 indicators of these areas multifunctionality level. Canonical analysis was conducted in order to explain the effect of rural areas environment quality on the level of their multi-functionality. In result of the analysis, the most important determinants of multi-functional development were revealed, as well as indicators of multifunctionality.
It was found that the area of the świętokrzyskie voivodship is diversified with respect to the quality of rural areas environment.
It was demonstrated that the level of multifunctional development should be regarded as two independent approaches: approach concerning infrastructural environment and non-infrastructural approach, associated with the other kinds of environment (natural, social and economic). The infrastructural approach as mul-tifunctionality indicator regards population density (increase in population density corresponds to the higher level of multifunctionality). Accoring to this system the level of multifunctionality increases owing to the development of technical in-frastructure,whereas, whereas the approach considering the other kinds of envi-ronment uses as the indicator of multifunctionality employment rate in agriculture (increase in employment in agriculture causes a decline in multifunctionality level). In this system environmental factors affecting multifunctionality affect the employment rate in agriculture. Świętokrzyskie voivodship is diversified regarding the multifunctionality level, both in the infrastructural and non-infrastructural ap-proach.
Research aiming at determining the effect of subjective factors was conducted as directed interview. The interview covered a group of rural dwellers, of different ages, education and social status. Collected data was the basis for analyses which revealed diversification of subjective attitudes of local communities to the issue of multifunctional development. The differences concerned especially the hierarchy of importance of multifunctional development factors.
Studies conducted using directed interview aimed at agricultural holdings owners revealed that it is justifiable and necessary to create off-farm jobs (non-agricultural incomes) in the area of the świętokrzyskie voivodship which has a dispersed agrarian structure. It is due to a lack of interest on the part of agricul-tural holdings' owners in any activities aiming at further development of their farms (increasing acreage or investment outlays). In the first place the tendency is characteristic for owners of the smallest holdings with the lowest education level. Therefore, a problem of employing labour force with the lowest qualifications may appear in future.