SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT-CASE STUDY CAMELINA PRODUCTION IN ROMANIA

This paper aims to present a solution for the fragmented agricultural land in the rural area of Romania, involving farmers and local authorities from different villages. The need to set up local associations for everybody's benefit is further explored, based on the outcome of the EC Project ITAKA, of which Romanian organisations were partners. A framework is proposed, SEIA (Socio-Economic Impact Assessment), to investigate the social aspects and economic impacts associated with Camelina feedstock production. The selected feedstock is linked to the aviation biofuel production, thus a strong argument for economic diversity and prosperity. An understanding of local culture was essential when recording community perception relating to Camelina investment and production in a particular area from Cluj County. The SEIA used in Romania was structured primarily around development and economic factors: land ownership and use, levels of agricultural mechanisation, the size of the available workforce, existing infrastructure and level of taxes raised. Social aspects linked to quality of life, incorporated into the 'people development' category, included increased employment and lower social costs, better education and health, a cleaner environment. A different feedstock of economic interest may be considered, but the main objective is to find proper solutions for a fertile, but uncultivated land in Romania's rural area.