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How to escape the trap? A systems approach to foster rural development in Central Romania

Friederike Mikulcak , Jamila Haider , Jens Newig & Joern Fischer Leuphana University Lueneburg Stockholm Resilience Center Resilience 2014, Montpellier, 5 May 2014. How to escape the trap? A systems approach to foster rural development in Central Romania. Rural Romania.

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How to escape the trap? A systems approach to foster rural development in Central Romania

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  1. Friederike Mikulcak, Jamila Haider, Jens Newig & Joern FischerLeuphana University LueneburgStockholm Resilience CenterResilience 2014, Montpellier, 5 May 2014 How to escape the trap? A systems approach to foster rural development in Central Romania

  2. Rural Romania • Rural areas comprise 87.1% of the territory • Rural population: 9.67 out of 21.45 million (~45% ; 2010) • ~60% of rural population employed in agriculture (self-employed, family farms) • Unique natural wealth (annex species, cultural landscapes) Central RO

  3. Central Romania • formerSaxonarea • Traditional smallholder, low-intensityfarming • High farmlandbiodiversity

  4. A typicalTransylvanianlandscape

  5. What‘stheproblem? • Structural poverty, high unemployment rates, outmigration, land abandonment or land intensification  development a top priority to locals • EU accession (2007) - unprecedented disparities (competitiveness) - Challenge to achieve economic & env. sustainability  exacerbated outmigration and regional marginalization social-ecological system (SES) appears locked in

  6. Theoretical approach: Traps • reinforcing/ self-correcting dynamics maintain system at low-level equilibrium • Stable state: interventions often unable to move system into a more desired trajectory • Inflexible or dysfunctional institutions are often a main reason Examples • poverty trap (people are impoverished by circumstances beyond their control) • rigidity trap (institutions are highly connected and inflexible) Factors/ driversbehind lock-in state?

  7. Livelihoodsapproach

  8. Constrasting traps andlivelihoods

  9. Advantages ofmergingtheapproaches • Livelihoods approach provides boundary terminology to build bridges between concepts • Capitals a useful concept to cluster factors creating a trap state • Systems approach useful to highlight interdependencies of capitals • Importance of institutional context • Common goals: improve development policy and practice

  10. Howappliedto Central Romania? • 347 short interviews in 66 villages (17 communes) of Central Romania • State of social system (economy, infrastructure, migration) as perceived by villagers • Suggestions of improvement by rural residents (2) 11 in-depth interviews with key individuals (‚change agents‘) on development barriers (clustered into capitals) Development barriers

  11. Someofthe interview partners…

  12. Resultsofshortinterviews

  13. Key barriers clustered into capitals

  14. Findings • Central RO is poor in human, financial, physical, political and social capital, but rich in natural capital  one of the ‘best’ development options for Central RO lies in using its natural capital • Interdependency and spiraling up effects between capitals, for instance H H N + + F F S

  15. Interdependencyofcapitals

  16. Conclusion • Huge ‘push’ (intervention) unlikely to move system into more desirable state • All capitals need to be improved simultaneously • Support key individuals and boundary organisations (spiraling up effects, knowledge transfer) Enfors & Gordon 2008

  17. Thanksforyourattention

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