Agriculture in the function of rural development: Case study from Republic of Serbia and Republic of Srpska

Abstract

Rural areas in Republic of Serbia and Republic of Srpska, but also in the surrounding countries, are rich in natural resources suitable for agricultural and rural development. The authors of the paper performed a comparative analysis of agricultural development and the possibility of influencing rural development in Serbia and Republic of Srpska. In addition to the available secondary documentation, they used data from FAOSTAT (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). The authors conducted a survey in the rural areas of the two countries during 2019, on a total sample of 215 respondents, farm owners. The obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS software, version 23.00. The descriptive statistical analysis gave an insight into the shortcomings of agricultural development, while the paired samples t-test confirmed the hypothesis of the existence of a statistically significant difference in certain categories.