Rural Development Through Non-Agricultural Activities In Romania

The restructuring of farm activities together with the improvement of commercial farm capital and the orientation towards partial employment in agriculture have determined the release of a significant part of labour input from farming sector. At the same time, the crafts and other traditional activities of rural people tend to be less and less practiced, mainly by the younger generation. In this context, encouraging the development of non-agricultural activities represents an occupational alternative for the rural labour force, a modality to diversify the economic activities in the countryside and a stabilizing factor for the rural population. The objective of the paper is to make an analysis how the non-agricultural activities have developed at national level, as an alternative source of incomes for the rural population. The information was obtained from national statistics, from governmental and non-governmental sources, as well as from the articles and studies published in different journals. The obtained results proved that the development of non-agricultural activities in the rural area contributes to the increase of rural population’s incomes, job creation and diminution of rural-urban disparities.