Sustainability studies in rural development

Csete, Mária

Keywords: sustainability, rural development, micro-region, empirical survey

The importance and topicality of sustainability hardly needs to be demonstrated any further, as experience is showing us how troubles in the ecological cycles or the re-production of material goods threaten human existence. The study focused on the region of Tisza Lake and the 73 settlements which formed the Regional Development Council for Tisza Lake Region. Sustainability research plays a great role in rural development in Hungary. As shown in our earlier studies, the level of development and opportunities available to rural regions have a strong effect on the extent to which sustainability is implemented in practice. A questionnaire-based study of development concepts apparent in the calls for applications for subsidies in the region indicates that development concepts do not reflect a firm approach, which is not favourable for rural local sustainability initiatives based on local characteristics. Local opinions on the five packages of the ‘New Hungary Village Programme for Liveable Rural Areas’ do not always indicate awareness of opportunities arising from local features and values, which may be a profound barrier to sustainable rural development.

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