A Development Visions Approach of Designing Rural Strategies

The paper aims to present possible development visions for the rural areas in a candidate country to access the EU. The proposed objective is to provide a decision-making tool useful in strategic planning process, by designing models of integrated rural development, applicable at country or regional levels. The scenarios method was used to conceive alternatives for rural development and design scenario matrices, focusing on the institutional and socio-economic modules of analysis. The paper proposes a trend scenario, based on the potentials and constraints identified in the analysis phase, and 3 goal scenarios, based on distinctly different sets of goals or development visions. The expected outcome consists in development of the potential for economic diversification in rural areas emphasizing the creation of local/regional employment and income opportunities, in several alternatives supplied by different visions of development.