‘THE PURPLE GOLD’ AND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ITS CULTIVATION IN THE TRANSYLVANIAN PLATEAU AREA ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

We give the name of ‘The Purple Gold’ to the miraculous lavender plant, after following some analysis and evaluations to consider that it is one of the most important aromatic plants in existence. The review of literature proves that lavender is a shrub whose flower mass has beneficial properties on human health. It contains active substances that give the plant antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, carminative, healing, digestive and toning properties. That is why it is used as a curative source both internally and externally in traditional alternative medicine. It is therefore important to provide information on the content of these active substances present in the lavender plant and their curative capacity to promote their consumption. Lavender cultivation can be an important source of income for families living in rural areas. The aim of this study is to assess the economic impact of lavender cultivation in the Transylvanian Plateau on rural development. Data from representative case-studies were collected using direct interviews with farmers to establish the economic sustainability of this production in Romania. The study addresses some essential aspects of the bioactive properties of lavender as well as the investment feature in lavender plantations, their establishment, organization and financing in order to investigate the economic impact and profitability of lavender plantations for small and medium accessible farms in rural areas by farmers who do not have a very high capital. The farms are profitable even on small areas of land, and the success of the business depends on an efficient system of capitalization of the production, by processing the lavender flower mass resulting in lavender essential oils and derived products. Based on the representative study cases it was proved that the cultivation and processing of lavender is a sustainable business.