The integrated approach to sustainable development of rural areas: the case for the agricultural sector in the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation

Abstract

The paper presents the original technique of assessing the sustainable development in rural areas which is based on an integrated approach. It describes the methods and validation conducted for rural areas of the Russian Federation with the case for its exclave - the Kaliningrad region. The characteristic of its agropotential has been studied; the analysis of social, economic and environmental indicators within 20 groups of statistical data has been used to calculate a composite sustainability index. On the basis of the integrated analysis conducted, recommendations for the sustainable development of rural areas have been elaborated. It was concluded that under the conditions when the region is obliged to provide food security, detailed assessment of sustainability of agricultural areas becomes extremely important. The method of the calculation of the integrated approach to sustainable development was introduced and applied for the border rural areas of the Kaliningrad region.