The proposed algorithm for identifying agricultural problem areas for the needs of their reasonable management under land consolidation works

•Algorithm for identifying agricultural problem areas.•Use of GIS tools in spatial structure analysis.•Prioritization of land management activities.•Assessment of defects in the spatial structure of land. The development of agriculture in the territory of Poland and its production capacity is considerably differentiated in terms of space. At present, the country under discussion has agricultural areas which in many respects can compete with agriculture in the member states of the European Union. However, in some areas agricultural production run by private farms owned by individuals is on the verge of or falls below the limit of profitability. Such areas are called agricultural problem areas. These areas are increasingly exposed to marginalization and they are referred to as areas without a potential for development. Agriculture in such areas is doomed to failure. Therefore, it justifies promoting the alternative economic functions of problem areas in a rural setting. Such solutions include: allocating land for forest planting, building development, transport infrastructure, agritourism, and leisure, transformation into ecological areas, growing energy crops, wildlife food plots or gardening. Land consolidation is a process improving the spatial structure of rural areas, including problem areas. This geodesic operation makes it possible to describe the specific characteristics of selected agricultural problem areas and propose the most effective alternative methods of managing the described area. Thanks to rural management works, rural areas become competitive and cultivation of crops in such areas generates financial benefits and improves the living standard of their inhabitants. The universal algorithm for identifying problem areas, designed in this paper, can be a useful tool for programming land consolidation works because the results will make it possible to indicate options for the optimum management of such land. This paper takes into account criteria referring to a detailed description of the above-mentioned areas. Its advantage is that it can be used in different regions, no matter where the land consolidation object is located.