MSc European Rural Development
ERD Residential School May 2009: exploring sustainable rural development in Romania
Students from the MSc European Rural Development (ERD) programme visited the Tarnava Mare area of Transylvania, Romania for their annual residential school. The visit offered an opportunity to gain research experience in an ecologically and culturally unique part of Europe. With support from the ADEPT Foundation the residential week focused on the identifying indicators for monitoring sustainable rural development in the area.
Staff and students stayed in households of subsistence farmers in Viscri, one of the Saxon villages. Students operated in small teams, with Masters students from Cluj University acting as translators, to interview stakeholders across the Tarnava Mare area. Preliminary results identified a range of potential ‘indicators of sustainability’ linked to issues such as, the significance of external income streams, inability of farmers to access funds, isolation, as well as conflicts over infrastructure development, and utilisation of the Saxon legacy.
For informal discussions or more information contact either the Course Leader Dr. John Powell, or the Course Administrator, Jill Harper
Application and Prospectus Requests should be made to: Student Recruitment Office postgrad@glos.ac.uk
