A contribution to the reflection on the notion of agricultural multifunctionality

Abstract

This paper “exceeds” to a certain degree the boundaries of rural sociology focusing on deeper reflection upon the issue of the conceptual determination of multifunctionality from a broader theoretical methodological (and philosophical) viewpoint, with the aim of making an original contribution to a more thorough understanding and comprehension of the notion. The notion of multifunctionality is a basic notion of the European concept of agriculture and a great challenge to rural sociology. There are still controversies and disagreements over its definition as a necessary precondition for practical operationalisation and decision-making. This paper is focused on the investigation of the notion of multifunctionality, but still more on the reflection upon and detection of “deeper” meanings and heuristic potentials of the notion of multifunctionality. Therefore we have opted for defining and not for definition. We have made a short review of axiological-methodological issues of the notion, of the projections of the challenges of the future (of the notion) of multifunctionality, of multifunctionality for the purpose of beauty and of different social aspects of the approach to the notion of multifunctionality of agriculture. The last part of the paper is a short review of the approach to the problem in Serbia with some dilemmas presented and questions asked.