Functions of rural areas are influenced, among others, by historical conditions of social development, such as: the intensity of population growth, the insufficient level of produced crops and the permanent food shortages. Such approach to rural areas contributed to development of less useful areas, characterised by the low production potential, for agricultural purposes. Besides, those areas are also characterised by the intensive fragmentation of arable lands and directing the agricultural production to meet own demands of farmers. Professional publications include many proposals concerning definitions of marginal lands with reference to problematic areas. It mainly depends on the field of research, the authors and the approach to the discussed issues. The objective of this paper is to review the terminology and characteristics of marginal areas and problematic areas. As a result, the original definition of agricultural problematic areas will be proposed by the authors; this is important in Poland, in particular, when those issues are considered from the perspective of increasing the size of problematic areas and agricultural development in those areas.

Development of the Polish agriculture and its production abilities are spatially diversified. At present, in Poland agricultural areas may be distinguished which may successfully compete with the agriculture in the European Union countries. However, areas where private farms run their businesses on the verge of profitability or below also exist in Poland. Those areas are called agricultural problematic areas (OPR), depression areas, areas not useful for agricultural purposes, marginal lands etc. It is estimated that OPR covers over 60-70% of our country. Land consolidation is the process which improves the spatial structure of rural areas, including problematic areas. When this geodetic process is performed it is possible to interpret specific features of selected agricultural problematic areas and to propose alternative and the most effective ways of development of the discussed areas. As a result of those agricultural-and-development operations rural areas are becoming competitive and improve the living conditions. However, they are performed on a very small scale, in recent years this area is about 5900 hectares per year.