Changes of Social and Economic Activities of Farmers in the European Model of Agriculture

Abstract

After access to EU Lithuania has to adopt the Common Agriculture Policy,
whose background is the European model of agriculture. The main attribute of the
European model of agriculture in multifunctionality. Multifunctional agriculture
provides public goods or positive externalities, such as environmental services,
natural resource protection, rural landscape and recreation areas. Agriculture
contributes to fulfilling societal goals like viability of rural areas and their
development, food security, preservation of cultural heritage. The esthetic values of
the Lithuanian countryside, farmers employment and the changes of income level
depend on the way how the European model of agriculture will be implemented, how
effectively the system of public goods and their compensasion will function. The
European model of agriculture creates the environment for solving socioeconomic
problems in rural areas of Lithuania. The implementation of this model changes
understanding of agricultural activities and trends of farmers social and economic
activities. Though specific feature of Lithuanian agriculture and rural areas
development influence the complexity of this process.