Romanian Farmers’ Markets: Understanding the Environmental Attitudes of Farmers as an Instrument for Bioeconomy Development

Abstract

Farmers’ markets are vital income sources for many farmers. Farmers’ markets are a direct-to-consumer marketing approach that has existed for centuries, enabling urban dwellers to interact with farmers while shopping for produce and products. In Romania, the piaţa is their version of a farmers’ market. The focus on environmental sustainability within the European Union provides an opportunity for Romanian farmers using sustainable approaches to sell their products. Therefore, understanding the attitudes of farmers selling at farmers’ markets is important to the development of the agricultural sector and the bioeconomy. Furthermore, having knowledge of farmer attitudes enables policy to be developed to encourage the development of sustainable agricultural techniques. The results of this paper indicate that there is a disconnect between the beliefs and attitudes farmers have about the environment and their agricultural practices under various scenarios. Additionally, agricultural training that includes sustainable agricultural techniques and education on the economic benefits of using them would be beneficial. Lastly, the results suggest that a farmer that feels part of the community is more likely to be a steward of the environment.