THE IMPACT OF MICRO-FINANCE AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES FOR FARMERS ON SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ROMANIA

The paper aims to present the impact of loans and professional training activities upon their development, and generally upon the rural development of the activity areas. The micro-finance activities started to be developed in Romania since 1993, with the support of foreign donor institutions (Ex: CHF International, USAID, World Vision, Opportunity International, the Swiss Confederation etc). The present paper provides an analysis of survey results. The survey was applied in the Centre Development Region in 2008, on farmers who benefitted or did not benefit from professional training and/or loans provided by the FAER and LAM foundations. Study results reveal the impact that the services provided had on the farmers in the foundation impact area and the overall impact on the rural development in the Centre Region. Conclusions show the necessity of such services in the context of complex issues that Romanian farmers face, as well as the rural population on an overall.