The Role of Agricultural Engineering in Sustainable Rural Development in SEE (South Eastern Europe) Countries

Abstract

Rural areas, especially in developing countries, are facing with numerous social, economical, cultural and environmental problems. Although there is a growing concern, in most cases, only very few farmers or inhabitants are able to follow contemporary, sustainable and environment-friendly methods in farming systems. The consequences of this are numerous, such as; poverty, significant migration to urban areas and unplanned suburban settlements. This has a significant impact on the national economy, demography, and environment. The Association of Agricultural Engineering in South Eastern Europe (AESEE), recently have dealt with these significant problems of the rural communities of their region and herewith emphasized the role of agricultural engineers in overcoming the problems and providing applicable solutions for a sustainable rural development.

Ruralni regioni, posebno u zemljama u razvoju, suočavaju se sa brojnim socijalnim, ekonomskim, kulturološkim i ekološkim problemima. Iako se o ovim problemima često govori jako mali broj farmera je u mogućnosti da prati savremene, održive i ekološki prihvatljive tehnološko-tehničke sisteme poljoprivredne proizvodnje. Posledice ovoga su brojne i ogledaju se u siromaštvu, migraciji u urbana područja i neplanskoj gradnji u prigradskim naseljima. Ovakve pojave značajno utiču na nacionalnu ekonomiju, demografiju i životnu sredinu. Udruženje inžinjera poljoprivrede Jugoistočne Evrope se u poslednjih nekoliko godina bavi ovom problematikom. U ovom radu je analizirana uloga inžinjera poljoprivredne tehnike u prevazilaženju problema ruralnih područja u regionu. Shodno tome, data su i neka aplikativna rešenja koja vode ka održivom ruralnom razvoju.