Sustainable Development of the Rural Areas from Romania: Development of a Digital Tool to Generate Adapted Solutions at Local Level

Abstract

Rural Romania faces many problems, the main one being depopulation. In general, young adults frequently choose to migrate to urban centers or leave the country entirely to satisfy economic and/or social aspirations. The aim of this study is to identify intractable issues that inhibit rural development and to identify actionable solutions. In this regard, a questionnaire was developed and administered at the local level. The results obtained were analyzed with the SPSS Statistical Program, with the Pearson Chi-square, and Cramer and Pearson coefficients were determined. The answers obtained from applying the questionnaire made it possible to identify the causes that inhibit the sustainable development of rural areas. It can be considered that a solution that could lead to the sustainable development of the rural areas from Romania would be represented by the development of a digital tool that would create a synergy between local authorities, researchers and the private sector. In order to be able to solve these problems, the Government of Romania should provide the necessary funds to local authorities, depending on the needs identified through the digital instrument, acting directly on the aspects that restrain the development of those areas.

Climate Change—Between “Myth and Truth” in Romanian Farmers’ Perception

“…Although in recent years the number of holdings has decreased considerably, from 4.485 million holdings in 2002 to 2.887 million holdings registered in 2020, agricultural land fragmentation remains a topical problem characterizing Romanian agriculture [26][27][28]. The high number of agricultural holdings is mainly due to land fragmentation, a phenomenon that started immediately after 1990, when property (including agricultural land) was retroceded to living heirs [28][29][30][31].…”

“…The degree of agricultural training was a weak link in the knowledge of Romanian farmers, which, with the accession to the European Union and its conditions for accessing European funds [29], forced farmers to train in this area, but nevertheless, the percentage of farmers with higher education is quite low [32][33][34][35][36].…”

“…Not so long ago, the effects of climate change were viewed with scepticism by rural people [29], whose main activity is farming, and were more likely to be attributed to folk beliefs (traditions that are sacredly observed and differ from one cultural area to another) [28,30].…”

“…Association is another bottleneck in Romanian agriculture, wherein farmers avoid cooperating to obtain better prices for inputs, attract EU funds, process production or market their products [29]. In 2020, there were only 112 agricultural cooperatives, down 48% from the previous year [30].…”

Models Underlying the Success Development of Family Farms in Romania

“…Young people choose to migrate to urban centres or to Western European countries in search for a better life. One solution to this phenomenon is to encourage family farms, where all family members are involved [56].…”