Rural non-farm livelihood activities in Romania, Georgia and Armenia: Synthesis of findings from fieldwork carried out at village level 2001–2002

As part of a project funded by DFID and being carried out in collaboration with the World Bank, which focuses on the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) in Georgia, Armenia and Romania, qualitative, anthropological research using a variety of methods including focus group discussion, key informant interview and participant observation was conducted, in two phases between December 2000 and May 2002. This research looked at livelihood activities of all kinds, including farming, activities linked to farming and activities which are separate from farming. This included subsistence activities, barter and sources of cash. The relationship between different kinds of livelihood activities was also examined. A synthesis of the main findings of the research is presented here, with conclusions and recommendations