Agriculture as a Possible Way for Sustainable District Development in Bulgaria

Abstract

Agriculture is an important sector of Bulgarian economy and is a trigger for the development of rural areas. The analysis of district development takes into account the importance of European cohesion policy and national support for the achievement of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The main aim of this study is to reveal the place and the role of Bulgarian agriculture in rural development. Based on the clusterization on a district level we defined 3 clusters. The first one -"economically poor -ecologically stable" has the highest probability for agricultural development and ability to transform into a well-developed agrarian cluster and to develop environmentally friendly activities and tourism. The second cluster -" economic developed" has potential for good prospects for the realization of the population, development of the diverse sectors, access to education and a high standard of living. The third cluster called "transitional -towards good economic development and ecologically unstable" has potential for the development of activities, including agrarian and use of new technologies to contribute to GDP per capita growth. The given policy recommendations are directed into the development of the three clusters. In the first cluster, policy makers should direct efforts to overcome the economic problems by transformation into a welldeveloped agrarian cluster. Cluster 2 is well developed and the policy should be directed at increasing the economic capacity of the studied areas. Cluster 3 is a transitional one and there the policy makers should try to develop a multifunctional way of transformation to sustainable territory for living. The results are part of the scientific project DN 15/8 2017 Sustainable multifunctional rural areas: reconsidering agricultural models and systems with increased demands and limited resources funded by the Bulgarian research fund. JEL Classification Numbers: Q01, Q10, R11,