The paper aims at examining the levels of social cohesion and socio-economic dysfunctionality in former State Agricultural Farms (post-PGR) areas and at assessing the possibilities for initiating bottom-up actions, and for participating in the creation of mechanisms for local development. Data used in the study was obtained in multimethods approach, i.e. mainly during a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and observation concerning the financial situation and the social environment (social problems and cohesion), that is, the elements predicted to be the key factors obstructing effective corrective actions within local development. We have demonstrated that post-PGR areas should be treated as especially problematic not only because of their economic dysfunctionality, but mainly because of the complex social problems they experience (lack of local ties, hostility, aggression between neighbors). Such a difficult environment requires substantial interference which should take into account the problems specific to the population. The threat resulting from the heterogeneity of such communities should be a significant factor shaping the perception of local development problems.

Innovative activity of small and medium-sized enterprises is one of the factors for effective business. The aim of the article is to determine the innovative activities of small and medium-sized businesses in the frontier regions of Latvia (Latgale region), Lithuania (Vilnius region, Alytus region, Utena region, Panevezys region, Kaunas region), Belarus (Vitebsk region, Grodno region, Minsk region, Mogilev region). The novelty of the research has a cognitive character: the authors have determined the level of innovation potential for small and medium-sized enterprises in the regions, which is characterized by a complex of various resources, the amount of the production of innovative product and innovative technology, service in the regions, the branch structure of innovations in the regions, dominance of certain models of innovative entrepreneurship on the basis of innovative process organization in the companies located in the frontier regions has been established. The following methods are used for the research: logical analysis and synthesis, monographic and analytical method for studying economic theoretical and empirical sources of the international level, quantitative and statistical methods of data processing – frequency analysis, sampling; for the collection of the initial primary data the instrument of questionnaire was used.

In the EU during the last decade, interest has risen for both consumers and producers in Food Quality Schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. For producers, the appeal lies in the benefits associated with the collective reputation of quality that characterizes labels linked to geographical origin. This paper obtained estimates of technical and scale inefficiencies of PGI bean farms in Greece by applying the DEA methodology. The main part of the divergence from the efficient frontier is more due to inadequate use of inputs and less because farms are not operating at the optimal size. The vast majority of the farms in the sample achieved technical efficiency scores in the range of 70–100% and scale efficiency scores in the range of 80–100%. Average technical efficiency is lower than average scale efficiency which means that a larger segment of overall inefficiency is due to producing below the frontier than to operating at an inefficient scale.

The purpose of the research is to evaluate the technologies, available to the Latvia’s sector of fish processing and their utilized capacity, as well as to identify the factors influencing production process, providing recommendations for development and improvement of further policy of the sector. The author evaluated availability and utilized capacity of production technologies in the Latvia’s sector of fish processing, considering the analysis of financial indicators of the made investments, production capacity load and fish processing companies. In view of economic theory, the factors, influencing the production process of Latvia’s sector of fish processing, were defined. As a result of analysis, the author established that the development of production of Latvia’s fish processing sector is to a great extent influenced by the availability of human resources, raw materials and investments, as well as undertaking. For further development and policy planning of the sector it would be advisable to take into account these factors, influencing the production process of Latvia’s sector of fish processing and their changes. The formed combinations of indicators may be used in scientific researches on establishment of production technologies availability and their utilized capacity, and identification of factors, influencing the production process; they may facilitate researches for its calculation and importance, as well as may assist the institutions involved in the fisheries’ policy formation to work more successfully and improve the common policy in the field.

Spatial modifications should be introduced in areas where members of the local community actively participate in consolidation projects. Social acceptance is the key prerequisite for successful land consolidation. How should the sequence of land consolidation measures be planned in a rural area whose inhabitants have not expressed their opinions about the project? Are the existing criteria, which are applied to evaluate land consolidation measures mostly in agricultural regions, sufficient? Scientists and practitioners have been developing criteria that should be taken into account in the process of planning land consolidation measures. This article analyzes the criteria for planning land consolidation measures in Poland. Most of them are based on economic parameters, such as farm fragmentation, average land plot area, average farm area, shape of farm fields, proportion of plot sides. A criterion that is disregarded in the planning process is the local community’s attitude to the undertaking. This article attempts to define additional criteria for planning land consolidation measures based on the local community’s attitude to the project. The study was carried out in the Lublin Region, which is characterized by the highest number of land consolidation schemes in Poland. Attempts were made to describe social activity levels in the region’s rural municipalities. The selection of variables characterizing the local community was a key stage of the study. Variables that were indirectly indicative of social activity were included in the analysis: voter turnout in elections, municipal councilors’ level of education, number of non-governmental organizations, and number of local action groups.

With this issue of 2008, we bring 49 proceedings of the 85, which started life as presentations at the Annual 14th International Scientific Conference on Research for Rural Development 2008 held at the Latvia University of Agriculture, in Jelgava, on 21st to 23rd May 2008. In the retrospect of four month later, we can count the Conference as a great success. The theme - Research for Rural Development - attracted participation of 357 researches with very different backgrounds. There were 2 presentations from Czech Republic, 1 from Denmark, 1 from Poland, 1 from Sweden, 2 from Estonia, 13 from Lithuania and 65 from Latvia. Four independent reviewers estimated each report. The proceedings of the Conference is intended for academics, students and professionals researching in the area of crop production, animal breeding, agricultural engineering, agrarian and regional economics, food sciences, veterinary medicine, forestry, wood processing and water management.

Results of the study showed the following: 1) There exists an extremely broad range of agricultural and agroforestry land-use alternatives to the current slash-and-burn systems but much work needs to be done. 2) There is a major need for scientific quantification of the many attributes of the most promising systems. 3) There is a need for national policy to discourage use of environmentally destructive systems and to encourage longer-term investment by finding solution to land tenure uncertainty. Innovative marketing approaches that open large market segments for agroforestry fruit products (such as the soft drink market) have been extremely successful but not well documented in many parts of Asia. 4) There is a need to "harness" and distribute the best farmers knowledge about integrated systems, but have little successful experience with this. 5) Finally, scientist must realize that the scientific knowledge base covering the range of options is frightfully narrow, and the scope for learning is enormous. The success stories of imaginative application of the many options give hope, but at the same time stretch our abilities, to understand and to properly apply the numerous technologies waiting for more widespread use