THE CONTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (NRDP) FUNDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES FROM THE RURAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE SOUTH-WEST OLTENIA REGION, ROMANIA

The rural area has faced and continues to face countless challenges regarding the lack of financial resources, the way to use material and human resources, labor productivity and labor mobility. Although Romania is a rich country in natural resources, the rural environment being predominant and having an old tradition in agriculture, certain factors stop or make rural development quite difficult. The present study aims to identify and analyze these factors that make rural development less than desired, ways to finance human resources through programs dedicated to the rural environment so that people who earn income from subsistence agriculture can also develop in non-agricultural fields, can achieve a performing agriculture and helps the economic and social growth of the Southwest Oltenia region. An important source of financing for the rural environment is funds from the European Union, which also contribute to the development of human resources in the area. To begin with, we considered the statistical analysis of the data on the evolution of the resident population in the region, the employed population, the net monthly salary that people in the region obtain according to the branches of the national economy, but also statistical data related to unemployment. Thus, for an overview of the existing situation, we continued with a SWOT analysis of the regions in order to establish investment priorities. Another important point in the paper, which helps us to observe the contribution of European funds to rural development, is the degree in care of the measures of the National Rural Development Program accessed as well as certain factors that made submeasure 1.1. to be poorly accessed. The conclusions of the study show that the South-West Oltenia region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, with a population that, living mostly on the income obtained from subsistence agriculture, is in acute need of funds, additional training and development.