Rural Non-Farm Livelihood Activities In Romania: A Report On Qualitative Fieldwork In Two Communities

Abstract

This report is based on qualitative research carried out between December 2000 and January 2001 and between November 2001 and May 2002 in two communities in Romania, one (Rotbav) in the county (judet) of Brasov and the other (Motatei-Gara) in the county of Dolj. Section 1 of the report is a presentation of the methodology and instruments used for the qualitative research, and explains the criteria used for selecting counties, communities and households. Section 2 reviews the history of the RNFE sector in Romania before examining the non-farm activities which are pursued by the people of the study villages. Section 3 summarizes the non-farm activities engaged in at household level in the communities studied. Section 4 looks at linkages between farming and involvement in non-farm activities. Section 5 examines factors and constraints which affect involvement in RNFE, focusing particularly on social factors (relational networks, ethnicity, religion). The concluding section presents an outline of important aspects of the current situation in the study villages in relation to involvement in non-farm activities. A glossary is provided at the end of the report, after the bibliography