MULTIFUNCTIONAL CONCEPT OF AGRICULTURE: JUST AN IDEA OR THE REAL CASE SCENARIO?

Multifunctionality as a feature of agriculture is subject to different interpretations, depending on the state and context. However, there is no comprehensive definition of this concept. Multifunctionality originates in the supposition that agriculture, apart from the production of food also has other broader social functions and aspects, such as maintaining production potentials, encouraging rural development (keeping the population in the country, cultivating the landscape), and protecting the environment. In the first chapter the authors present a view of the multifunctional nature of European agriculture, followed by a presentation of Slovene agriculture and its most important characteristics in different contexts – economic and social. If definitions of multifunctional agriculture published so far are taken into account, it may be stated that this process is well under way in Slovenia. A special part of this paper has been devoted to the empirical evaluation of this phenomenon, where the authors indicate an incomplete approach to testing and the difficulty in objective quantification of such a complex phenomenon. Above all, it is necessary to establish clear criteria for the follow-up of multifunctional agriculture and its influences on general social interests.