Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 23 ISSUE 3
Written by Daniel RĂDUȚOIU

The research carried out by us had as its main purpose the identification of the way of use of spontaneous flora by the local populations, from the regions studied, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to make people aware of the advantages of using natural products over artificial ones. The work methodology consisted in making trips to different places in Oltenia, from the Getic Piedmont and the Subcarpathian Depression in order to collect information about the phytodiversity of these areas and how the locals use these plants in the local economy. The field survey was made on a sample of 524 persons who were interviewed based on a structured questionnaire including 10 questions regarding the economic importance of spontaneous flora in the region and for their life. The results presented in this present paper represent a segment of a more complex study concerning the importance of spontaneous vascular plants in the local economy of a certain region in Oltenia. The obtained data were compared with those corresponding to the plain region of Oltenia in order to observe, on the one hand, the potential of each area and, on the other hand, the level of interest shown by population towards the capitalization of the natural material found in the area where they live. By analysing the usage of spontaneous plants in the Getic Piedmont and the Subcarpathian hills of Oltenia, the author concluded that the interest shown by the population is greater in these regions than in the lowland. Just as in the plain region, medicinal plants occupy an important place in terms of use. The number of tinctorial species is much lower as compared to the plain region. They are employed only by very poor families, who cannot afford to use commercial products.

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