Demographic Change And Labour Availability In Agricultural Farms In Nord-Est Region Of Romania

In recent years, the topic of farm demographics has been a major concern of the EU and continues to be addressed in the proposals for the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In the last three decades, Romania’s agriculture went through major structural, social and institutional changes. In the 1990s, there was a reverse migration from urban to rural areas, driven by the restitution of agricultural land and the loss of jobs in urban areas due to closing down of the state- owned industries. Currently, the perception of family farming lacking profitability makes the rural workforce look for jobs elsewhere: in urban economic sectors providing higher remuneration, or abroad, mainly in farming activities in other Member States (Spain, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom). As a consequence, there is a lack of available labour most on small and medium-sized farms that prevail in Romania’s agriculture. The present paper explores the drivers of demographic change, consequences and possible solutions to labour unavailability (unskilled, skilled and management-level labour) in the Nord-Est region of Romania, as resulting from a focus group organized on these particular topics, with the participation of various local stakeholders.