EN
Studies on novel forms of enterprise in rural areas were carried out in 8 communities in three differing areas of southern Poland. In each community 10-15% families operating businesses were selected at random. A total of 431 families from the Bielsko, Kraków, Nowy Sącz and Tarnów Voivodships were examined. It was found that proprietorship among village inhabitants in southern Poland strongly affects social and professional transformations in rural areas. It is often an alternative for unemployed families working on small farmlands. The scale of enterprise to date is, however, far too small for implementing the idea of multifunctional development of the countryside.