| Abstract [eng] |
Master's thesis analyzes the contemporary rural development, including economic, social, political, cultural and environmental changes and tendencies revealed in recent years after Lithuania’s joining to European Union. The theoretical part presents the European rural development model, which is characterized by sustainable rural development, multifunctional agriculture and multi-sectoral economy. Great attention is paid to rural heritage, organic farming, as well as to search for opportunities to improve the rural residents welfare. The study was aimed to analyze the current economic and socio-cultural situation of Pakruojis district, to disclose the essential problems of this region and the possibilities of positive changes. Pakruojis district is characterized as a typical remote rural region where the agrarian sector still remains as predominant. The target micro-regionalization method was used in the empirical researches. It means that district's territory was divided into several hypothetical micro-regions in order to highlight their local resources for optimal utilization. The main results of the study, which reveals the essential problems of rural areas and the trends for the search of positive changes, are presented in the thesis. The biggest obstacle to more rapid progress of the remote low-urbanized areas is a very primitive understanding of the modern role of rural areas in the post-industrial society, which is predominant not only among public, but also in local and even central governance institutions. |
