The Role of Agricultural Cooperatives in Rural Development of Hungary

Abstract

In our work we look at the development possibilities of Hungarian agricultural cooperatives known as agricultural cooperatives from the countryside. According to our hypothesis, even 30 years after the regime change there are still many possibilities left in the focused development of these ventures. Since the change of regime, no solution has been found to solve the problems of the increasingly isolated, lagging rural settlements. The primary purpose of our research is to examine how and by which means these co-operatives could become the engines of development in rural areas as they had been in Hungary for decades before the regime change. We also sought to find a way to implement a complex development program positively affecting a significant part of the community. What obstacles should be removed to initiate the rural development process and what measures are needed so the already launched rural development initiatives could reach their aim? What radical change is needed in order for a cooperative to become a major determinant of development for a given area? In our research, we examined the current possibilities of cooperatives and their activities that could be utilized for rural development.