The Croatian organic products market is not developed as it is in economically more developed European Union (EU) countries. There are 2,319 registered organic producers on a total area of 50,054 ha. It was assumed that producers’ motives of organic products are predominantly noneconomic and that they sell most of products through direct sales channels and have positive attitudes toward producers’ associations. A survey was conducted with organic producers in Northwest Croatia. They (72.7%) switched from conventional to organic farming due to noneconomic motives. Due to an unorganized distribution network, products placement in markets mainly takes place locally (71.4%). Most producers are cooperating but in an informal way.

Sustainable rural development, encompassing economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection, is a multifaceted concept with inherent complexities. Achieving it often involves navigating trade-offs between these three pillars. To effectively allocate resources and achieve convergent development in the EU, measuring rural sustainability at the regional level is crucial. The multicriteria approach addresses this challenge by considering the diverse perspectives of stakeholders involved in rural development. This paper presents a model for measuring sustainable rural development at the NUTS 3 level in Croatia, utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) within a multi-criteria analysis framework. Based on a survey of rural development stakeholders, 15 indicators were selected, weighted, and incorporated into the model. The survey revealed that economic indicators received the highest weight (0.415), followed by social (0.309) and environmental (0.275) considerations. This model offers a valuable foundation for local and regional decision-makers to develop strategies and implement actions that promote sustainable development in rural areas.

Since 2015, investment subsidies from the EAFRD through the Rural Development Program have been available to farmers in Croatia. The most numerous holdings in Croatia are those with an economic size of up to 8,000 euros, characterized by a low level of productivity due to insufficient production capacity and inadequate machinery They are the intended aid recipients in the sub-measure 6.3. In the three tenders held so far, this sub-measure has been mostly used for the purchase of machinery (62% of all users), which most often includes old tractors inadequate for modern agricultural production. The increase in production capacity with the growth of the Standard Output was used by only 38% of sub-measure users , with a slightly higher share of young farmers and those working in flower production. The conclusion of the paper is that in order to increase the productivity of small farmers, it is necessary to redefine the criteria for approving applications in sub-measure 6.3 in a way that preference is given to farmers committing to activities that will increase their production capacity and Standard Output.

Today, all sectors of the economy are confronted with the problem of demographic renewal. The low number of young farmers and the lack of development opportunities for them pose major challenges for the agricultural sector. This study focuses on the Rural Development Program (RDP) 2014–2020 of the Republic of Croatia, which provided many opportunities for young farmers through its measures. The study is based on a qualitative approach that includes two research methods to identify the benefits and limitations of the RDP measures as well as the challenges that Croatian young farmers still face after the implementation of the Program. The first involved the descriptive analysis of secondary data, while the second was based on the collection of primary data using the interview method. Eight semi-structured interviews (N = 8) were conducted with farmers aged 18–41 years in all four Croatian NUTS2 regions. In almost all 20 Croatian counties, the number of young farm owners has increased and the level of education acquired has also increased accordingly, with a decrease in the number of uneducated and those with only primary education and the largest increase in those with secondary education. The interviews revealed that all respondents see similar benefits in continuing farming as a profession: they are their own boss and have strong work motivation and job satisfaction. However, they also mention similar problems that persist: financial insecurity, insufficient labor, high dependence on climate change, and problems related to land.

Rad prikazuje razvoj okolišne politike u Hrvatskoj od osamostaljenja do danas. Nakon osamostaljenja, fokus je bio na uspostavi institucionalnog i zakonodavnog okvira za okolišnu politiku te je 1994. godine donesen prvi Zakon o zaštiti okoliša. U pretpristupnom razdoblju dolazi do usklađivanja hrvatske okolišne regulative s propisima Europske unije što je dovelo do poboljšanja u mnogim područjima, poput gospodarenja otpadom, zaštite voda i zraka. Od pristupanja do danas radi se na implementaciji europskih propisa i jačanju institucionalnih kapaciteta jer su okolišna politika i okoliš jedan od glavnih prioriteta Unije i područje kojemu treba posvetiti sve veću pozornost.