Volume XIX, Number 2, 2025

ABSTRACT – The LEADER programme is a rural development programme of the European Union with more than three decades of history, in which international cooperation – within the framework of cooperation network building activities – is an important element of this development method. At EU level, 280 such cooperation projects were supported during the 2014-2020 programming period. Our research was based on the premise that, on the one hand, local authorities are particularly important actors in the LEADER programme and, on the other hand, specific cooperation and development activities always take place in one or more municipalities. We therefore examined how LEADER international cooperation contributed to the establishment and development of international relations between local authorities. The research involved a comprehensive analysis of 22 international cooperation projects launched in Hungary during the 2014-2020 period, using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The research results confirmed our hypothesis regarding the role of local governments, which we further refined, based on the strength and subject of their involvement. The research analysed the driving forces behind cooperation, its continuity and innovative nature, and identified the most important constraints that may hinder the wider application of LEADER international cooperation. The research results also suggest that, uniquely within the EU development policy system, there exists a method that provides otherwise disadvantaged rural local governments with the opportunity to participate in international cooperation not only on a point-to-point basis, but also on regional scale.

ABSTRACT – This article examines the different approaches to settlement success and municipal leadership in the case of Hungarian municipalities. Our objective is to examine mayoral perceptions of success in two selected districts in North and South Transdanubia and its underlying factors. Taking the concept of success used in Hungarian literature as a point of departure, the study compares the results of two primary data collections. By doing so, the paper exposes the key challenges facing rural development, the expectations of the population, and mayoral attitudes and motivations regarding development, as well as their varying interpretations thereof and efforts to achieve success at the local level. Drawing on research conducted in two districts in Transdanubia involving forty interviews, the paper seeks to highlight the differences between fundamentally similar areas dominated by small villages that arise from one being located in a peripheral southern county and the other in a northern, economically dynamic county. In addition to subjective factors of success, objective indicators will also be presented in order to illustrate the main trends of the economy and society.

ABSTRACT – The digitalisation of the agricultural sector, which the subsequent proliferation of artificial intelligence has accompanied, has also been accompanied by the introduction of numerous innovations in various areas. These innovations are typically associated with businesses and startups driven by innovation. The present study examines the phenomenon of agricultural startups, focusing on global unicorn companies, and considers the case of Hungary in Europe. Several startup databases were consulted to gain insight into the subject, including the American Crunchbase database, the Dealroom database and the European startup database. The research findings indicate that most agriculture-related unicorns are located in North America, with a notable absence in Europe. Nevertheless, numerous agriculture startups provide innovative solutions to the region’s challenges. The study culminates with a case study of Hungary, which introduces the distinctive Hungarian National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) Techlab program launched in 2019. Since then, several funding opportunities have been made available for agriculture-related startups in Hungary, indicating a gradual increase in the number of agricultural startups and their success rate.

ABSTRACT – Pécs is the central settlement of Southern Transdanubia, one of the few cities in Hungary that survived the Second World War without significant destruction. As the seat of Baranya County, it started to develop dynamically from the 1950s. Industrialization based on the development of coal mining and uranium mining resulted in a sharp increase in the population. At the same time, housing construction started, and new city districts formed. The road network connected the new housing estates to the urban fabric, and the increasing number of commuters started to pose an increasing challenge in the organization of local transport. The aim of this study is to follow the development of local transport in Pécs during the period of intensive growth in the second half of the 20th century until 1990. The research focuses primarily on bus transport, with a special focus on the changes in the spatial extent of the network. It will be presented how the growing population and the expanding local vehicle fleet have caused challenges in the road transport. The description of these processes and the knowledge of their spatial conditions help to understand the development of the city’s basic transport network and the origin of certain transport management difficulties that still exist today. This study tries to identify the urban planning and transport management situations and difficulties that can be experienced during a period of intensive growth.

ABSTRACT – The history and development of Hungarian communities living in the Carpathian Basin and the parties representing them is a significant topic for both Hungarian national politics and social science.  Through the analysis of census and election databases, relevant party documents, and the mobilization index developed by Strijbis and Kotnarowski, this study also aims to contribute to expanding knowledge about Hungarian communities and parties abroad. The analysis covers the presentation of some basic, country-specific characteristics of Hungarian ethnic communities, and based on these, a brief overview of the individual community types and the parties representing them. Then, on the one hand, the study shows the main goals and place of Hungarian ethnoregional parties in the typology developed for Central and Eastern Europe based on the goals of political organizations. On the other hand, using time-series data the study examines the relationship between the major parties and the given Hungarian community in terms of electoral support at the national and regional levels. The presented results strengthen and consolidate the knowledge about the national and regional position, support of Hungarian ethnoregional parties, and illustrate the different aims, development paths of organizations and the dynamics of their support. However, the results are also suitable for drawing attention to trends due to the decline of communities, which also affects the chances and future of political organizations.

ABSTRACT – In recent years, environmental anomalies caused by climate change and the drastic increase in production costs have started to raise concerns about conventional agriculture. As a result, more farmers are turning to nature-based agriculture. In large-scale agriculture, we can see more soil regeneration farming, while on smaller plots, other agroecological subsystems such as agroforestry and permaculture farming are also gaining popularity. This paper focuses on permaculture, presenting what this term means for Hungarian farmers and what practical challenges they face in sustainable farming. It highlights that permaculture should not only be analyzed as an agricultural innovation but also as a spatial and social phenomenon, since its principles reshape land-use patterns, community relations, and consumption practices, offering broader insights into sustainable development. The interpretation of the concept of permaculture and the obstacles and difficulties of this form of farming is based on the results of in-depth interviews and an online questionnaire survey. This study concludes that while permaculture in Hungary holds strong potential for ecological and social sustainability, its wider success depends on overcoming social scepticism, strengthening supportive networks, and adapting institutional frameworks. Addressing these challenges is essential for scaling permaculture as a transformative model of sustainable agriculture and community resilience.

ABSTRACT –

The study examines the extent to which suburbanization and the accompanying increase in traffic are harmful to the quality of the environment. We have shown that in the urban areas of Hungarian cities, the increase in the number of cars greatly exceeds the increase in the population. We examined the level of air pollution on a section of road in the vicinity of Győr (a medium-sized city in northwestern Hungary). Changes between 2001 and 2022 were calculated in four suburban settlements located in a part of the Győr agglomeration, along road number 1401. The number of passenger vehicles has increased and commuting habits have also changed significantly. We calculated the emissions from road traffic (only passenger car traffic) using the COPERT program, thus quantifying a small part of the environmental impact of suburbanization. The number of vehicles in agglomeration areas increases even if the population does not increase further.