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Rural environment is a vast spatial area characterized by low building density and the dominance of natural and agricultural landscapes. In the rural environment, open spaces, agricultural lands, fields, meadows, pastures, forested areas, and water bodies prevail, forming the basis for traditional economic and cultural practices.

This environment includes individual residential buildings — villages, farmhouses, and small settlements — as well as supporting infrastructure: agricultural facilities, barns, roads, and country paths. Rural environment territories are often located within zones with developed farming, animal husbandry, or forestry, and may also contain elements of natural ecosystems such as wetlands, small rivers, and forest belts.

The physical features of the rural environment vary depending on the region and climatic conditions: from flat, expansive fields to hilly and mountainous landscapes, from moderately humid to arid zones. Seasonal changes in natural conditions are clearly expressed in the rural environment — the growing season alternates with a dormant period, which affects vegetation status, agricultural activity, and natural phenomena.

Typical components of the rural environment include crops of various plants, living fences, preserved traditional buildings, pastures for animals, as well as elements of rural infrastructure — wells, barns, enclosures, and small farms. An important part of the rural environment is natural objects — forests, rivers, meadows, and fields — which create conditions for biodiversity and support ecosystem sustainability.

The rural environment plays a significant role in ensuring food security, preserving natural and cultural heritage, as well as in shaping rural living, working, and recreational environments. It has a direct impact on the socio-economic development of regions where the agricultural sector constitutes a substantial part of the economic structure.

rural environment

A group of chickens on a green meadow on a sunny morning

Chickens Against the Background of a Sunny Sunrise