CONTRIBUTION OF LOCAL PRODUCTS IN DEVELOPING AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND LOCAL ECONOMY - CASE STUDY

Through this paper we try to identify the contribution that local products, more precisely local food obtained in Bucovat village have on developing agricultural systems in the area and on local economy. We built our study starting from the approach based on Pretty and Hine (1999) five capital assets framework, as it follows: natural capital, physical capital, social capital, human capital, financial capital. Working methodology relied on gathering the data through applying questionnaires with fix answers and open ending answers and on interviews with local producers and authorities. So, we stopped on identifying local food, the role they play in maintaining biodiversity in studied area, but also on identifying agricultural systems practiced referring to agriculture type, technology degree, labour force required and its assuring, but also others aspects related to production manner. We try to identify the producers from the village that are selling their products on local market or on markets from Timisoara (Timisoara is the largest city from western Romania, with 300,000 inhabitants) where the major part of the market is owned by big store chains. An important aspect is the social one through underlining the added value that human relation bring to this economic process by way of communication and partnerships establishment. A part of the study was dedicated to analyse the implications at household level that capitalization of local food in short supply chains, but also all in all local economy. At the end of the study, we can conclude that the village has large potential of production, but from the producers point of view there is the need for consultancy aimed to solve the difficulties they face in organizing and association for a better entry to Timisoara market, and in this way the local products can have a larger importance in agricultural systems and local economy of this peri-urban locality.