Formation of Rural Development Ideas in Lithuania: History and Perspectives

Rural development is an extended process related to positive quantitative and qualitative changes, typical untill 1918, 1918-1940, 1940-1990, and after 1990. The paper analyses rural development ideas in the abovementioned historical periods. Contemporary concepts of rural development such as multifunctional agriculture, rural multifunctionality, and the new institutional economy are analysed in the article as well as the possibilities of their application in Lithuanian practice. Application of contemporary concepts of rural development as multifunctional agriculture and rural multifunctionality will be useful for the convergence of agriculture and rural development in different documents on rural development, as the concept of multifunctional agriculture has a historical succession in the country's practice. Also the concept of rural multifunctionality includes compatibility of two approaches towards rural development: individual and social. A deeper understanding of the new institutional economy will be significant for the strengthening of an integrated approach, particularly in LEADER + implementationVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij