**4. Pathways towards sustainable development goals (SDGs)**

The EU Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are two strategic initiatives which can help to reduce the geographical inequalities in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of basic infrastructure, promoting economic activity and agricultural development and improving the qualifications and skills of the inhabitants, particularly in rural areas [15]. However, the impact of such policies in case of new EU member states needs to be further adjusted with proper funding to boost local and regional economies. The gradual decline of fishery activities across EU rural coastal areas makes it difficult to revitalize these regions, despite new policy incentives such as the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) as shown in case of Greece [16].

The EU policies and financial instruments must accelerate the mitigation gap between western high-income countries and former Soviet countries of the Eastern Bloc where rural regions are regularly left behind. New projects like LiveRur (https://liverur.eu/) identify the innovative business models that are currently being developed in rural areas based on the sustainable mobilization of resources and better cooperation between operators along the value chain and lead to new services. At regional level, collective forest management supported by small-scale business projects could maintain the network of local produce markets with attractive esthetic values as well as biodiversity conservation [17].

The role of small- and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas is based on local resource use, contributions to the local public budget, job creation, development of infrastructure, and engagement with community [18]. Furthermore, small-scale farmers using agroecological practices can produce the food necessary for diversified, nutritious, sustainable diets, while protecting environmental resources from further degradation [19]. Long-term growth policies should be reoriented to favor small farmers instead of big agribusiness players to maintain food security and social equity in tropical regions [4]. New urban-rural relations, in terms of organic food production, stimulate nearby farmers to adopt the best management practices and to develop nonfarming activities (e.g., tourism and recreational activities, environmental conservation, forest restoration) or urban-rural migration [20].

Rural households that wish to market their products are restricted to local markets, or their production is sold at low prices to intermediaries [12]. This situation is specific to other Eastern European countries where the dispersion of villages, poor road networks, and the urban concentration of services are impediments in the development of direct linkages between local rural producers and urban customers. The development of farmer associations could be a solution in increasing access to regional or even national markets, to provide short supply chains and to reduce reliance on food product imports from abroad, particularly in countries with high potential in agricultural productivity like Romania. Such countries need to raise their rural economies from cheap raw material providers dedicated to exports towards manufactured products and services (e.g., furniture industry, food industry, organic farming, renewable energy, agritourism).

Digital technologies provide new ways to access price and market information, to coordinate input/output resources (including transport and logistics, finance, and production techniques) which could help the agriculture sector in the Global South as shown in several case studies [6].

Improvement of water harvesting, cultivating drought-resistant crops, ecological restoration, combined with better local governance, financial instruments, integrated resource management, sound public services, and better urbanrural linkages could help rural communities around the world to become more sustainable.

**15**

**5. Conclusions**

*Sustainable Rural Development under Agenda 2030 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90161*

tion issues [21].

Remote rural areas of developing countries should rely on renewable energy sources due to poor coverage of electric grids, high costs of fuel transportation, unsuitable roads, and increasing consumption of biomass fuels with related pollu-

In this context, "Smart Village" is a promising initiative to provide energy access to remote villages as a catalyst development route for other related sectors such as clean water, sanitation, education, healthcare, and gender equity and support the

In poor rural areas of developing countries like Bangladesh, where energy source is based on wood or dried cattle dung, the bioenergy systems (e.g., anaerobic digestion of biowaste) at household level could be a solution in achieving several SDGs [3–5, 7] with societal and environmental benefits despite of major challenges in implementing such projects at large scale associated with severe poverty, poor education, lack of awareness, social and cultural barriers, etc. [23]. Training activities and environmental awareness should combat such barriers, and fortunately, domestic biogas activities start to emerge in developing and transition countries across the globe such as Pakistan, India, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia (Asia); Morocco, Algeria, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda (Africa),

Rural tourism, agritourism, religious tourism, and ecotourism are alternatives or complementary economic activities that could further stimulate rural entrepreneurship while decreasing rural community dependency on one main economic

Rural communities must respond to wide range of shocks (such as natural events, policy changes, economic disturbances, and insecurity), and successfully managing such risks increases the resilience of a rural community [24]. Sustainable development based on three basic pillars (social, economic, and environmental) could not be achieved without the proper education of the rural population. The literacy rate is directly proportional to development; thus, full access of rural communities to educational services should be regarded as starting point to achieve ambitious SDGs in developing countries. Also, rural-urban linkages must be addressed as a pathway to stimulate rural development perspectives. These ruralurban dependences may be positive, negative, or neutral. The positive ones are visible especially in developed countries, the negative ones especially in the less developed countries, but neutral relations are difficult to manage particularly in the proximity of urban areas. Regional convergence aims to reduce the geographical inequalities in the distribution of wealth between large cities, towns, and rural municipalities which are part of an administrative region or county. Such approach could strength the urbanrural relations in common projects regarding infrastructure, public services, mobility, business opportunities (e.g., start-up firms, employment growth) and tourism activi-

This chapter draws attention to the societal and environmental threats which rural communities around the world are facing. Agenda 2030 and SDGs aim to eradicate extreme poverty, famine, open defecation, and other critical issues in developing countries associated with lack of public utilities, mainly in rural areas, and to reduce the huge gaps between countries and regions. To achieve all range of SGDs across the globe, proper attention must be paid to rural development perspectives such as quality of life improvement, sustainable agriculture, rural resilience,

local markets and democratic engagement as stipulated by SDGs [22].

Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia (South America) [14].

ties involving local stakeholders in community decisions.

sector (agriculture, forestry, energy, mining, or fishing activities).

*Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century*

Greece [16].

**4. Pathways towards sustainable development goals (SDGs)**

tive esthetic values as well as biodiversity conservation [17].

try, organic farming, renewable energy, agritourism).

South as shown in several case studies [6].

The EU Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are two strategic initiatives which can help to reduce the geographical inequalities in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of basic infrastructure, promoting economic activity and agricultural development and improving the qualifications and skills of the inhabitants, particularly in rural areas [15]. However, the impact of such policies in case of new EU member states needs to be further adjusted with proper funding to boost local and regional economies. The gradual decline of fishery activities across EU rural coastal areas makes it difficult to revitalize these regions, despite new policy incentives such as the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) as shown in case of

The EU policies and financial instruments must accelerate the mitigation gap between western high-income countries and former Soviet countries of the Eastern Bloc where rural regions are regularly left behind. New projects like LiveRur (https://liverur.eu/) identify the innovative business models that are currently being developed in rural areas based on the sustainable mobilization of resources and better cooperation between operators along the value chain and lead to new services. At regional level, collective forest management supported by small-scale business projects could maintain the network of local produce markets with attrac-

The role of small- and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas is based on local resource use, contributions to the local public budget, job creation, development of infrastructure, and engagement with community [18]. Furthermore, small-scale farmers using agroecological practices can produce the food necessary for diversified, nutritious, sustainable diets, while protecting environmental resources from further degradation [19]. Long-term growth policies should be reoriented to favor small farmers instead of big agribusiness players to maintain food security and social equity in tropical regions [4]. New urban-rural relations, in terms of organic food production, stimulate nearby farmers to adopt the best management practices and to develop nonfarming activities (e.g., tourism and recreational activities, environmental conservation, forest restoration) or urban-rural migration [20]. Rural households that wish to market their products are restricted to local markets, or their production is sold at low prices to intermediaries [12]. This situation is specific to other Eastern European countries where the dispersion of villages, poor road networks, and the urban concentration of services are impediments in the development of direct linkages between local rural producers and urban customers. The development of farmer associations could be a solution in increasing access to regional or even national markets, to provide short supply chains and to reduce reliance on food product imports from abroad, particularly in countries with high potential in agricultural productivity like Romania. Such countries need to raise their rural economies from cheap raw material providers dedicated to exports towards manufactured products and services (e.g., furniture industry, food indus-

Digital technologies provide new ways to access price and market information, to coordinate input/output resources (including transport and logistics, finance, and production techniques) which could help the agriculture sector in the Global

Improvement of water harvesting, cultivating drought-resistant crops, ecological restoration, combined with better local governance, financial instruments, integrated resource management, sound public services, and better urbanrural linkages could help rural communities around the world to become more

**14**

sustainable.

Remote rural areas of developing countries should rely on renewable energy sources due to poor coverage of electric grids, high costs of fuel transportation, unsuitable roads, and increasing consumption of biomass fuels with related pollution issues [21].

In this context, "Smart Village" is a promising initiative to provide energy access to remote villages as a catalyst development route for other related sectors such as clean water, sanitation, education, healthcare, and gender equity and support the local markets and democratic engagement as stipulated by SDGs [22].

In poor rural areas of developing countries like Bangladesh, where energy source is based on wood or dried cattle dung, the bioenergy systems (e.g., anaerobic digestion of biowaste) at household level could be a solution in achieving several SDGs [3–5, 7] with societal and environmental benefits despite of major challenges in implementing such projects at large scale associated with severe poverty, poor education, lack of awareness, social and cultural barriers, etc. [23]. Training activities and environmental awareness should combat such barriers, and fortunately, domestic biogas activities start to emerge in developing and transition countries across the globe such as Pakistan, India, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia (Asia); Morocco, Algeria, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda (Africa), Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia (South America) [14].

Rural tourism, agritourism, religious tourism, and ecotourism are alternatives or complementary economic activities that could further stimulate rural entrepreneurship while decreasing rural community dependency on one main economic sector (agriculture, forestry, energy, mining, or fishing activities).

Rural communities must respond to wide range of shocks (such as natural events, policy changes, economic disturbances, and insecurity), and successfully managing such risks increases the resilience of a rural community [24]. Sustainable development based on three basic pillars (social, economic, and environmental) could not be achieved without the proper education of the rural population.

The literacy rate is directly proportional to development; thus, full access of rural communities to educational services should be regarded as starting point to achieve ambitious SDGs in developing countries. Also, rural-urban linkages must be addressed as a pathway to stimulate rural development perspectives. These ruralurban dependences may be positive, negative, or neutral. The positive ones are visible especially in developed countries, the negative ones especially in the less developed countries, but neutral relations are difficult to manage particularly in the proximity of urban areas. Regional convergence aims to reduce the geographical inequalities in the distribution of wealth between large cities, towns, and rural municipalities which are part of an administrative region or county. Such approach could strength the urbanrural relations in common projects regarding infrastructure, public services, mobility, business opportunities (e.g., start-up firms, employment growth) and tourism activities involving local stakeholders in community decisions.
