Kifor H. Mechanism of Adaptive Development of Rural Areas

The dissertation is devoted to the study of the mechanism of adaptive development of rural areas. The study reveals the theoretical foundations of the formation of the mechanism of adaptive development of rural areas, which made it possible to identify scientific approaches to its study. The logical and semantic relationships between the key concepts - "mechanism", "adaptability", "development", "rural areas", "sustainable development", "flexibility" and "resilience" are analyzed. It is proved that these terms form an interconnected system that serves as the basis for the development of effective management decisions, taking into account the multidimensional nature of changes in the rural environment. The transformational impact of the economy on the mechanism of development of rural areas through structural changes in the agricultural sector is outlined, which stimulates the need to adapt to new market conditions and activate entrepreneurship at the local level. The main areas of influence of the transformational economy are identified: economic, environmental, institutional and organizational, social and innovative. An integrated graphic model of the relationship between social and environmental factors in the mechanism of adaptive development of rural areas has been developed, which contains interconnected elements aimed at ensuring the stability of the socio-ecological-economic system in the face of changes in the external environment. A matrix of proposals for improving the mechanisms of adaptive development of rural areas for the studied territories, namely the Lviv and Zakarpattia regions, has been formed. The implementation of three different scenarios for the implementation of the adaptive development mechanism for rural areas in the context of regional policy is proposed, including basic, accelerated and restrictive. The adaptive development mechanism for rural areas is based on the synthesis of the concepts of sustainable and regional development, the theory of system adaptation and agricultural transformation. This allows for a comprehensive approach to change management, taking into account economic, social, environmental interests and territorial specifics.