16. The Impact of Multifunctional Agriculture on the Economic, Social and Ecological Development of the Rural Regions in Bulgaria

Multifunctional agriculture is a new concept for Central and Eastern Europe and especially for Bulgaria. The main role for introducing the concept of multifunctionality or multifunctional use of agricultural land is to contribute to the rural development in the country. The main aim of the paper is to analyze the impact of the different multifunctional approaches on improving the social life and environment in the rural areas in North Eastern Bulgaria. The Delphi method is used to analyze conducted interviews with experts and agricultural producers in the studied region. The results of the study show the level of applying the rural development program in the country, the level of multifunctional use of agricultural land by agricultural producers and the level of environment and heritage protection.