Egy zöldségtermesztő kultúra végnapjai? : Szereplők és folyamatok Felső-Aranyosszék 21. századi mezőgazdaságában = The Final Days of a Vegetable Growing Culture? : Actors andProcesses in 21st Century Agriculture in Aranyosszék

The study examines the agrarian transformation in Romania through the lens of a Transylvanian micro-region, Upper Seat of Aranyos. This microregion is characterized by its traditional specialization in vegetable cultivation, with small-scale commercial farms supplying urban markets having a significant historical presence. Following a brief review of the literature on the transformation of Romania’s agricultural sector, the study first presents the changes that have taken place in the region’s agrarian sector over the past three decades, analyzing the processes that have occurred and the types of agricultural actors that have emerged as a result, with a particular focus on small-scale vegetable farms. Subsequently, the study explores why, despite the presence of multiple favorable preconditions for the spread of innovations supporting small-scale farming – such as a long-standing tradition of market-oriented production, the use of traditional short food supply chains, the availability of local varieties, and the proximity of solvent consumers seeking alternative products – such innovations have not been widely adopted. It also investigates why, despite its apparent advantages, small-scale farming in this region is still in decline. The empirical basis of the study consists of semi-structured interviews conducted with farmers from the region.