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Land
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Rural Development Strategies in the EU: Strengthening Agricultural Sectors and...
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Rural Development Strategies in the EU: Strengthening Agricultural Sectors and Local Economies

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 2746

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Stanislav Zekić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad, Segedinski put 9-11, 24000 Subotica, Serbia
Interests: agricultural policy; agricultural development; agri-food trade; rural policy and development; EU integration
Dr. Bojan Matkovski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad, Segedinski put 9-11, 24000 Subotica, Serbia
Interests: agricultural economics; agricultural development and policy; rural development and policy; agri-food trade
Dr. Žana Jurjević

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad, Segedinski put 9-11, 24000 Subotica, Serbia
Interests: agricultural policy; rural policy; rural development; EU integration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rural areas are significant in the European Union, particularly considering that their population represents about 20% of the European total, but their GDP per capita is significantly below the European average. Given the importance of rural areas, within the framework of rural development policy, the European Union has set goals for the growth of rural regions, but also growth in terms of employment and living standards: improving the competitiveness of agriculture, achieving sustainable management of natural resources and climate action, and the balanced territorial development of rural areas. Bearing in mind the heterogeneity of rural areas in the EU, the creation of an adequate rural strategy that will rely on local capacities and strengthen the competitiveness of agriculture has been determined to be a necessity according to the most recently published vision for the European Union’s rural areas. According to this vision, preserving rural areas and investing in their future is very important, as rural areas are a core part of Europe’s identity and economic potential.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide insights into the rural development strategies of the European Union that rely on strengthening the competitiveness of the agricultural sector but also on local capacities and specificities. As agriculture is often the dominant economic activity in rural areas, this Special Issue aims to look at practices intended to improve the competitiveness of agriculture in a way that will contribute to rural development in the EU and the candidate countries for EU membership. Also, to build new opportunities with a stronger voice for rural communities, research that looks at local specificities that can improve rural development is of great importance.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • European policies and strategies in the field of rural development;
  • EU rural development policy after 2027;
  • Vision for EU rural areas;
  • The impact of agricultural development on the development of rural areas of the EU;
  • Appreciation of local specificities in the development of EU rural areas.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Stanislav Zekić
Dr. Bojan Matkovski
Dr. Žana Jurjević
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable rural development
  • rural development programs and strategies
  • vision for rural areas
  • agricultural development
  • local economic development

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

37 pages, 3451 KiB  
Article
Changes and Challenges in EU Agricultural Holdings and Their Impact on Rural Development
by Emilia Herman
Land 2025, 14(5), 1080; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051080 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 156
Abstract
This study examines the impact of structural characteristics of agricultural holdings on their agricultural performance and contribution to rural development in EU countries over the past decade to identify potential measures to enhance rural development. The results of the paired samples t-test reveal [...] Read more.
This study examines the impact of structural characteristics of agricultural holdings on their agricultural performance and contribution to rural development in EU countries over the past decade to identify potential measures to enhance rural development. The results of the paired samples t-test reveal a structural shift in EU agriculture between 2010 and 2020 toward larger, more productive, and capital-intensive farms alongside a decline in small-scale and subsistence farming, improved agricultural incomes, and rural economic growth. However, persistent challenges such as rural depopulation, declining employment, and ongoing poverty remain. A cluster analysis identified five distinct agricultural models and reflects some notable transitions: Eastern European countries increasingly moved toward mixed farming (e.g., Latvia, Lithuania, and Hungary) or large-scale commercial farming (e.g., the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Slovakia), subsistence and small-scale farming became more concentrated in Bulgaria and Romania, and Western and Northern countries maintained high levels of modernization, with Ireland progressing and the Netherlands standing out as a distinct high-tech agricultural model. The five distinct agricultural clusters identified underline the need for regionally tailored policies. Hierarchical regression shows that while improvements in agricultural performance, particularly increased labor productivity, contribute to rural GDP per capita growth, they have a limited impact on rural poverty. Therefore, enhancing sustainable rural development requires more comprehensive and integrated strategies that not only promote productivity-driven agricultural reforms and innovation in advanced systems but also address the specific needs of lagging countries through structural transformation, capacity building, and targeted support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Development Strategies in the EU: Strengthening Agricultural Sectors and Local Economies)
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17 pages, 3213 KiB  
Article
Territorial Brands for Rural Development Strategies in Protected Natural Spaces: A Social Demand Analysis
by José A. Albaladejo-García, Gonzalo Martínez-García and José M. Martínez-Paz
Land 2025, 14(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010039 - 28 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1003
Abstract
The economic decline of some rural areas is leading to the development of strategies to enhance the value of local economies. This is particularly important in protected natural spaces, where the aim is to encourage the provision of ecosystem services and strengthen commitment [...] Read more.
The economic decline of some rural areas is leading to the development of strategies to enhance the value of local economies. This is particularly important in protected natural spaces, where the aim is to encourage the provision of ecosystem services and strengthen commitment to sustainable development and economic growth. One of the rural development strategies with a growing interest in promoting the sustainability of rural areas in protected natural spaces is the use of territorial brands. The objective of this work is to analyse the social demand for territorial-branded products in protected natural spaces. The territorial brand of Sierra Espuña Regional Park (southeastern Spain) was selected as a pragmatic case, with the aim of promoting the production and consumption of sustainable local products. To this end, a contingent valuation survey of consumers was carried out to study the demand for honey, one of the most characteristic products of this territorial brand. The results demonstrate the high social demand for honey under the Sierra Espuña Territorial Brand, with an average surcharge of almost thirty percent compared to the conventional product, and a positive influence of the perception of supporting ecosystem services on this social demand. These results provide an empirical basis for the integration and promotion of production and marketing strategies with territorial brands, in the interests of rural development from and for the territory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Development Strategies in the EU: Strengthening Agricultural Sectors and Local Economies)
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15 pages, 1445 KiB  
Article
A Methodological Framework for Evaluation of Rural Settlements: Rural Index of Serbia
by Žana Jurjević, Bojan Matkovski, Danilo Đokić and Stanislav Zekić
Land 2024, 13(12), 2183; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122183 - 14 Dec 2024
Viewed by 858
Abstract
The lowest administrative-territorial unit in Serbia is a settlement, whereby the administrative criterion of dividing settlements into “urban” and “other” is inadequate for describing the rural area, which is extremely differentiated in Serbia due to various factors. Therefore, it is necessary to determine [...] Read more.
The lowest administrative-territorial unit in Serbia is a settlement, whereby the administrative criterion of dividing settlements into “urban” and “other” is inadequate for describing the rural area, which is extremely differentiated in Serbia due to various factors. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the typology of settlements in accordance with different development characteristics, with a special emphasis on areas that are lagging in development. The goal of this research is to present a rural index of Serbia. The importance of this research is reflected in the methodological improvement of the classification of rural settlements in Serbia. This approach indicates the development potential and limitations of local areas in Serbia, which is the basis for support and financing of local development programs. The results point to different categories of rural settlements: rural settlements heavily influenced by the urban center; transitional rural settlements, i.e., rural centers; socio-economically devastated rural settlements; “retired”, abandoned, disappearing rural settlements, where it is necessary to adapt strategies and policies to different types. The results of the research provide important information to policymakers where specific development strategies for different types of settlements are proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Development Strategies in the EU: Strengthening Agricultural Sectors and Local Economies)
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