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Sustainability in the Case of Small Vegetable Farmers: A Matrix Approach

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  • Ioan Sebastian Brumă

    (Romanian Academy, “Gh. Zane” Institute for Economic and Social Research, 700481 Iasi, Romania
    Rural Development Research Platform Association, 707280 Letcani, Romania)

  • Simona-Roxana Ulman

    (CERNESIM Environmental Research Center, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania)

  • Cristina Cautisanu

    (CERNESIM Environmental Research Center, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania)

  • Lucian Tanasă

    (Romanian Academy, “Gh. Zane” Institute for Economic and Social Research, 700481 Iasi, Romania
    Rural Development Research Platform Association, 707280 Letcani, Romania)

  • Gabriel Vasile Hoha

    (Faculty of Food and Animal Sciences, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad“ Iasi University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania)

Abstract

Considering that sustainability is a relative concept, but also that this limitation could be avoided through continuous adaptation of the evaluation tools by taking into account the directions of change (such as time, space, application domain), the goal of the present study is to elaborate a matrix for measuring the level of sustainability for small vegetable farms. Thus, looking at what sustainability could represent under such circumstances, we divided its characteristics into four main dimensions (economic, social, environmental, cultural), while adding the private dimension. Inclusion of the private dimension may provide potential added value to this study, and thus enrich the general perspective of producers’ capacity to meet the sustainability goals in their entrepreneurial activity. To quantify these five dimensions of the sustainability matrix, a questionnaire was built up and used as support for face-to-face interviews conducted at the level of the North-East Development Region of Romania. Our results showed associations between diverse components of the dimensions considered, revealing their synergy in farm activity, along with the occurrence of some differences in the levels of sustainability dimensions and sub-dimensions, which differ as a function of the specific types of vegetable production (conventional, ecologic, natural, mixed).

Suggested Citation

  • Ioan Sebastian Brumă & Simona-Roxana Ulman & Cristina Cautisanu & Lucian Tanasă & Gabriel Vasile Hoha, 2021. "Sustainability in the Case of Small Vegetable Farmers: A Matrix Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-32, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:18:p:10320-:d:636126
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