Merre tovább magyar vidék, magyar falu?

Hungary's accession to the European Union was of strategic importance in every respect. Exploiting the opportunities offered by accession and developing the rural economy is a serious challenge of our time. The literature related to the topic writes about the appreciation of rural society and rural areas, but at the same time, the situation of the countryside shows a serious crisis in many areas. Due to the different characteristics and opportunities, the development of individual rural areas is significantly different, thus seriously harming equality of opportunity. The countryside has economic, ecological, social and cultural functions. This characteristic means that natural resources must be managed reasonably, the living and non-living environment must be protected, biodiversity opportunities must be preserved and rural communities must have a role, and folk values that can only be learned in the countryside must be studied and preserved. If we want development, then the economic foundations must be strengthened. Rural development is a complex activity, the success of which largely depends on political ideas. Villages can differ significantly, as we can talk about: areas with farms, small villages and areas with a high proportion of Roma population. In underdeveloped areas, there is no progress without creating jobs and increasing employment. The path to social integration leads through school and work. But there is no work if there is no minimum level of education, which requires parents to comply with the compulsory education law. The most effective type of institution for catching up children is a small family school with a small number of students. In many cases, public work helps, but only those people whose children go to school should receive such an opportunity. Public workers should - in addition to work - complete at least 8 grades so that they are suitable for training that is tailored to the needs and progress. Differentiated training is needed depending on the type of village. The development of population retention is of paramount importance. It takes time to create the most important economic and social conditions, housing and employment must be resolved, and creating the conditions for a quality life can help people stay in their place. It is a novel idea to restart production in village gardens with the help and organization of the MATE Gyöngyös teaching farm. The problems of the countryside are serious, but the difficulties in rural areas can be remedied, but the solution requires a very complex series of actions from the government, local governments and the residents themselves. Success depends on creating the liveability of the settlements. Well-organized agricultural activity can provide employment for many people. That is why we strive to assess the activities of the villages near Gyöngyös, explore the best opportunities and provide advice on the desired activity. The change is justified, in many cases increasing the ratio of vegetable and fruit production, expanding irrigated areas, and sustainable use of resources are increasingly urgent. In addition to improving efficiency and competitiveness, population retention and environmental and landscape protection are also important goals. During the 2016 research, we determined the recommended agricultural production of each village based on detailed data and surveys. In our new research, the database is continuously expanded, so in our opinion, we can draw serious conclusions based on the database. In the current phase of our research, we formulated the hypotheses as proposals.