Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 23 ISSUE 3
Written by Oana Roberta CREȚU, Valentina Constanța TUDOR, Elena LASCĂR

Romania has an agriculture in which approximately 37% of the population carries out their activity, with approximately 3 million plots, whose average surface is 1.5 ha, a fact that acutely requires the organization of farmers in associative forms, in order to modernize this important economic branch. Starting from these considerations, we analyszed, using the survey method based on a questionnaire, in 3 communes from Călărași county, the situation of farmers, on a structured sample based on the information taken from the Agricultural Register of the town halls, with a number of 238 respondents, having as its main objective the identification and drawing of development directions for small farmers, starting from the situation highlighted by means of processed and analyzed statistical data, but also by applying the opinion survey among small farmers. In order to evaluate the correlation of two important variables in the questionnaire, respectively, the farmer age and the farm size, the chi-square test was used, a test of statistical significance, through which we analyzed the frequencies for the measurable variables, on a nominal or ordinal scale. The possibility of association with other owners of farms in order to develop was analyzed: for the use of the land, the possibility of association being accepted by 46.2% of the respondents; for the association for the purpose of joint use of agricultural machinery, more than 33% support this possibility; for the valorization of agricultural products, over 30% want association with other farmers; 37% would associate for the joint rearing of animals; 34.5% want an association for the processing of agricultura products, 34.5% are followers of this association. We conclude that the organization of agricultural producers in associative forms opens new opportunities for economic development, by attracting local, zonal or regional advantages, and through collective bargaining power to increase the prosperity of the associated members and the communities they belong to. We also appreciate that among the factors of progress for the sustainable development of agriculture and the rural environment, an important place is occupied by the establishment and development of efficient associative structures, which contribute to the socio-economic stabilization of rural areas by favoring the development of agrarian structures integrated with market flows and economically efficient.

[Read full article] [Citation]