Sustainable development allows balance between different perspectives of society development. It is defined as a compromise between the environmental, economic and social goals of society, which make it possible to achieve universal welfare for present and future generations, within the limits of permissible envi-ronmental impacts. Despite economic progress, the world is currently facing global challenges of sustainable development: increased atmospheric, water and soil pollution, climate change, ozone depletion, natural re-source depletion, degradation of natural environment, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and valuable ecosys-tems, the continuing deterioration of people health, increasing inequality and social exclusion. All these global issues were reflected in the United Nations (UN) summit in 2015, which adopted a new sustainable develop-ment agenda: “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The UN summit also identified new Sustainable Development Goals that have changed the Millennium Development Goals. The UN Agenda for Sustainable Development up to 2030 emphasizes the sustainable use of land ecosystems, the sustainable development of forests, the reduction of desertification and land degradation, and the preservation of biodiversity. It is therefore important to ensure coherence in various areas of society; especially agriculture sector is sensitive to all these issues linked to sustainable development.
Agriculture is constantly undergoing economic, technological and managerial changes. Agriculture faces very important challenges for sustainable development around the world. In addition, agriculture is tightly related to the energy, transport and industrial sectors. For example, the production and use of renewable energy sources - bioenergy and biofuels - forms the basis for the development of the bio economy. Farmers' decisions are influenced by climate change, agriculture and rural development policy, and general economic situation of the country. In terms of implementing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the agricultural sector should become more dynamic and competitive seeking to ensure sustainable, progressive and coherent economic growth.
Farmers are not just the producers of the simplest raw materials because their farms produce food for humans, raw materials for bioenergy and biofuels and are key elements in rural economies; interact with eco-systems important for biodiversity conservation and soil fertility, for the benefit of the landscape and commu-nity life. The concept of sustainable development is based on the understanding that ecosystems and social systems are inextricably linked, and therefore the sustainable development of non-urbanized areas and regions is also directly linked to the sustainable development of agriculture. The greatest potential for synergy between sustainable non-urbanized areas and agricultural development is based on local resources, target groups and specific local problems and their solutions. Socially worrying is the deterioration of the health indicators of non-urbanized regions, reflecting not only the economic growth disparities between urban and rural areas but also social problems and the disadvantages of regional policy in Lithuania. Social business can make a signif-icant contribution to the sustainable development of non-urbanized areas and to the sustainable development of agriculture and the reduction of regional disparities in Lithuania. For the aforementioned reasons, the de-velopment of the agricultural sector and development of non-urbanized regions are interlinked in various areas.
In order to achieve sustainable development of non-urbanized regions, it is important to promote alter-native activities in agriculture. The tourism sector is one of the most important services sectors that can gen-erate income for communities in rural areas. In this context, the development of rural tourism plays a particu-larly important role. It should be noted that the development of rural tourism is an important challenge for sustainable development in terms of environmental pollution and degradation of natural resources, therefore it is important to ensure the implementation of harmonized policies in this sector.
The aim of this scientific study is to examine the main problems of sustainable development of agricul-ture and non-urbanized regions, to reveal their interrelations and, based on theoretical insights and empirical research results, to present summary conclusions on the sustainable development of agriculture and of non-urbanized regions in Lithuania.
The main tasks for achieving the goal are the following:
1. To model and evaluate the possibilities of sustainable farming in Lithuania;
2. To carry out comparative assessment of trends in energy consumption, GHG emissions and GHG emission factors in Lithuania and other EU member states;
3. To determine the prospects for the development of a social business in the context of sustainable development of non-urbanized regions;
4. To evaluate and compare the state of health and social indicators in selected urban and rural municipal municipalities in Lithuania, to identify health inequalities in non-urbanized and urban regions and to identify their main causes;
5. To establish the relationship between the resilience of farms and the sustainable development of rural areas in Lithuania;
6. To draw up a theoretical model and appropriate methodology for assessing the potential of rural tour-ism development;
7. To study the interconnections between globalization and sustainable tourism, and to present sustain-able tourism development prospects for strengthening the competitiveness of non-urbanized regions.
The methodology of investigation is based on theoretical paradigm linking sustainable development with multi-functionality of agriculture and rural development. In non-urbanized areas, farming is one of the key activities. This study is based on multifunctional rural development and multifunctional agricultural para-digms. The aforementioned theoretical assumptions allow us to examine traditional economic activities (agri-culture) and alternative activities in non-urbanized areas. Taking into account the paradigm of sustainable development, we are examining the economic, social and environmental aspects of economic activities in non-urbanized regions. The main attention is paid to the problems of sustainable development of Lithuanian non-urbanized regions, but an international comparison is also being made. This allows assessing the dynamics of the development processes of non-urbanized regions of Lithuania and comparing it with the situation in other European Union member states.
The following scientific methods were applied in the study: content analysis, quantitative modelling and statistical analysis. The content analysis is used to define the problematic aspects of the development of non-urbanized regions in scientific literature, their expression in strategic documents, and to identify appropriate research tools. Quantitative modelling allows for prediction of the direction of development of agriculture (one of the most important economic activities in non-urbanized areas) and their consequences. Statistical analysis allows characterizing and comparing the regularities of economic, social and environmental phenomena in Lithuania. Statistical analysis also applies to international comparisons, which reflect the situation of Lithuania in the international context. The research uses the following data sources: 1) strategic documents for non-urbanized regions and agricultural development issues; 2) statistics describing the processes of the develop-ment of non-urbanized regions; 3) the results of quantitative simulation.
Scientific study consists of seven chapters, which consistently implement the mentioned research objec-tives. In the first chapter of the scientific study, the theoretical concepts of sustainable farming were presented, based on the modelling the possibilities of sustainable farming in Lithuania were analysed and evaluated. The second chapter of the scientific study is dedicated to researching the impact of agriculture on the environment and climate change. In this section, using the concept of elasticity coefficients, the impact of agriculture on the natural environment was assessed and a comparative analysis of trends in energy consump-tion, GHG emission and GHG emission factors in Lithuania and other EU member states was performed.
The third chapter of the scientific study is based on theoretical and empirical studies. It reveals the preconditions of the historical-cultural social and economic development of business in agriculture and pre-sents the perspectives of the development of social business in the context of sustainable development of non-urbanized regions.
In the fourth section of the scientific study, the trends of the most important socio-economic and health indicators in selected rural and urban municipalities of Lithuania were analysed and compared, and the health inequalities and their main reasons were identified in urbanized and non-urbanized regions.
The fifth chapter of scientific study provided an empirical study and found out what factors contribute to strengthening the relationship between the prosperity of farms and the sustainable development of non-urbanized regions in Lithuania. There are also recommendations on how to strengthen the links between farm sustainability and the sustainable development of rural areas in Lithuania.
In the 6th chapter of scientific study, the factors of rural tourism development were analysed and sys-tematized, the theoretical substantiation of the methodology for assessing the main driving forces of rural tourism development and practical recommendations for assessing the potential of rural tourism development in Lithuania were presented.
The seventh chapter of the study examines the interconnections between globalization and the develop-ment of sustainable tourism and presents the assessment of sustainable tourism development perspectives for strengthening the competitiveness of non-urbanized regions.
At the end of the scientific study conclusions of all chapters of the study are summarized and the main implications of research conducted to sustainable agriculture and rural development in Lithuania are given.
Galnaitytė, A.; Baležentis, T.; Makutėnienė, D.; Pilipavičius, V.; Dapkus, R.; Štreimikienė, D.; Atkočiūnienė, V.; Kiaušienė, I; Švagždienė, B. 2017. Darni žemės ūkio ir neurbanizuotų regionų plėtra: Mokslo studija. Aleksandro Stulginskio universitetas. 346 p.: iliustr., santr. angl. (online) ISBN 978-609-449-124-5.
© Aleksandras Stulginskis University, 2017