Abstract: Abstract Although agriculture plays an important part in the economic and social structure of rural areas in Europe, its role has significantly declined over the past decades. The emergence of other economic functions has resulted in a diversification of rural areas. due to the industrialization of agriculture, the average farm size and utilized agricultural areas have increased, while the number of farms and their employees have decreased. The same process has led to more large-scale arable and dairy farming and agroproduction parks. Niches, in turn, exist for agrotourism (experience farming), agrarian nature and landscape management. In developed market economies, socioeconomic changes bring rural areas increasingly towards The post- productivist countryside. The role of agriculture and food supply chains is also changing. Some rural areas are transforming into arenas of consumption. The self-identification of rural areas can be a key for their spatial development. The Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) reforms of The EU have not changed agriculture's orientation towards industrialization. As a result, the production of industrial crops has further increased and intensified while pollution remains a problem and small-scale landscapes are still under pressure. While some rural areas are subject to depopulation, others are subject to repopulation, particularly by retirees. New niches in consumer Preferences, for example, for organic produce, as well as alternative income sources can improve the socioeconomic viability of some rural areas, an effect which may be stimulated by the improvement of transport infrastructure. Furthermore, agriculture and rural areas may play an important role in renewable energy production.
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 16
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