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Abstract
Globalisation, climate- and demographic changes, as well as the current
global financial crisis, are likely to have a strong influence on the future of
the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). These processes are closely related to
the three dimensions (environment, society and economy) of sustainable development.
Farmers across the EU are experiencing a period of change and uncertainty
caused by changes to the CAP and compounded in the case of Hungary by EU
accession. Theory suggests that the business development strategies of European
farming households should be based on multifunctionality, diversification and
pluri-activity. However, the farming community is not normally recognised for
its ability to embrace change and in some regions support structures have been
put in place to assist farmers to make the necessary transition. One such example
was the „Agricultural Development in the Eastern Region” (ADER) project
which was implemented in the East of England between 2000 and 2007 with the
aim of helping farmers to identify new opportunities and develop alternative business
approaches. In late 2006 and early 2007 ADER conducted a questionnaire
survey amongst its clients on their attitudes towards environmental, economic
and social sustainability in the light of probable future developments in agriculture,
particularly with respect to CAP funding. For almost five years there has
been increasing collaboration between rural development researchers in East of
England (EE) and eastern Hungary, resulting in the establishment of an informal partnership called the Cross-Border Centre of Expertise in Rural Development
(HVTK). In early 2008, the ADER questionnaire was translated into Hungarian
and distributed to farmers in the Northen Great Plain Region (NGP). This paper
compares the attitudes of farmers in the two regions to sustainability in the light
of anticipated changes in agriculture.ding the mix of policies which will best support
the nation’s forests in the future.