One of the most important goals of the National Collaboration Government established in May 2010 is the development of Hungarian rural areas, and, at the same time, the regaining of respect for rural life. The affairs of Hungarian rural regions and agriculture are not only the problems of those living in villages and involved with agricultural production, but the whole of society shares in the successes and failures of rural areas. Deviating from previous years the present government is setting a fundamentally new direction for the development of agriculture, it is primarily promoting the development of small and medium sized family enterprises.

Agriculture and rural development are of strategic importance in the 21st century. This statement will be increasingly valid in the coming years: good quality, safe foodstuffs, landscape maintenance, preserving a good environmental state and rural life, the creation of the preconditions for local public services appear among the most important governmental objectives throughout Europe. Hungary needs a comprehensive rural development program which both supports the entire range of rural agricultural enterprises and also increases the attraction of the rural economy. Our goal is to use the development to give many people the chance to increase their social standing and improve the quality of life of those living in rural areas.

The role of the Ministry of Rural Development has grown as compared to the past period and has been supplemented with environmental-nature protection and water management tasks. The ministry is extending its rural development strategy to create the opportunity, besides research and development and economic aspects, to provide increased protection for our natural values and landscape, in other words to maintain a viable environment and to improve the quality of life for those living in small settlements. The entire government program includes extra priority for the preserving and increasing of rural workplaces, the retention of the rural population and the restoration of its demographic balance. We wish to increase the competitive strength of the agricultural and foodstuff economy as well as improve foodstuff and water supply security. Of similar importance is the protection of the water bases and soils, also preserving landscapes, habitats, biological diversity and the ecosystem as well as the safety of the environment.

The structure of the new strategy

The new agricultural strategy will determine the place and role of agricultural research, environmental research in the national economy, the objectives of agricultural and environmental research, their instrument systems, the main strategic aims and directions. The national rural strategy up to 2020 – which includes both the research and development and innovation strategy – contains the following main goals:

The most important objective is for a strong state to be established that intervenes in line with community and environmental interests, that is one that follows the “eco-social” market economy model. It is important for Hungary to make use of the opportunities lying within the EU Common Agricultural Policy, but in such a way that it does not only serve the interests of a few thousand enterprises but those of the entire rural society. The conditions for the working population living in rural areas to be able to find work that meets their abilities and which creates value have to be provided. The concept must also satisfy aspects of sustainability (environmental, social and economic), so instead of increasing agricultural and foodstuffs production, goals that improve quality must be set.

The farming activity must first of all be constructed in the interest of satisfying domestic demands. - In order to improve agricultural competitive strength energy must be supplied that is cheaper than that available on the market and that increasingly originates from local sources. Among the domestic potentials a much greater role – compared to that given to date – must be given to agriculture and the associated activities in the employment of the rural population. - In the interest of fulfilling the demands made of agriculture we need to develop education, research and specialist consulting and to provide the biological foundations.

The state must use its unique system of instruments to promote adaptation to the changed economic environment originating from our EU membership (e.g. market protection, consumer protection).

For all this we need a strong state in the service of the public good that intervenes in line with community and environmental interests, that is one that follows the “eco-social” market economy model.

The goals of the research and development activity

The sphere of tasks of the Ministry of Rural Development has been extended further, as environmental science objectives have appeared besides the agricultural science research and development tasks. The earlier spheres of activity, which involve supporting and supervising research centres, cooperating with partner institutes, elaborating the government science and technology innovation strategy and sustaining international cooperation, have gained new aspects.

In the interest of R&D&I strategies, project systems it is the goal of the ministry to cooperate as effectively as possible with the domestic research institutes, the affected ministries and industry branch organisations in the fields of agricultural and environmental protection research and innovation. Due to the inter-branch nature of environmental protection, this activity practically extends over the entire R&D&I sphere (state administration, universities, academic research institutes, civil organisations, etc.). It is an important task for us to increase the proportion of the resources that can be won by small and medium sized enterprises operating in the field of agricultural and environmental protection technical development and innovation. At the same time in the case of public interest, global programs – where the business world is not directly involved or only to a lesser extent – we are setting up joint projects from budgetary sources in the interest of sustaining and improving the condition of the environment.

The research goals are to be determined in line with the above comprehensive system of objectives. After the priorities have been accepted we will send them to the organisations that deal with the Hungarian project programs so that our expectations are realised in the project objectives. It is important for us that the majority of the Research & Development & Innovation resources available for agriculture and environmental protection serve rural development objectives.

Current tasks (2010–2011)

One of our most important tasks is the assessment and reorganisation of the agricultural research institute network, and the elaboration of the R&D&I financing concept. We will set up the branch research and development and innovation directions, the aim of which is to promote the development and competitive strength of Hungarian rural areas and to prepare them for the global challenges.

With the elaboration of the tasks involved with agricultural and environmental protection research and development we also wish to promote effective use of resources. Therefore it is justified to increase the professional and financial coordination of domestic and international rural development research. Besides the complex, large-scale projects we will endeavour to provide finance for basic and applied research programs that come in the small and medium sized category. Besides financial coordination a very important factor is the harmonisation of the research, the practical utilisation of the scientific results, their presentation and popularisation.

The draft version of the Ministry of Rural Development’s new agricultural, rural and environmental strategy is expected to be drawn up by January 2011. Following this an approximately two-month national consultation will start in connection with the draft. The final version of the ten-year strategy is expected to be submitted to the government in April.

It is with these thoughts that I greet the readers of Hungarian Agricultural Research at the turn of 2010/2011 both here at home and abroad.

(Hungarian Agricultural Research)