Products and services obtained from the trees and their value chains

The multiple goods and services which are provided by the trees of the farm are crucial for a traditionally strong cultural identity (Hughes, 2008), food sovereignty, economic resilience, and the value creation of smallholders via SFSCs. Furthermore, trees provide multiple ecosystem services (Fagerholm et al., 2016). Firstly, wood is used to construct, repair and expand necessary buildings and furniture on the farm, thereby improving the

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living standard of the farmer’s families. As figure 5 shows, wood is also used to build haystacks, fences, and stables to enable value generation through raising livestock.

Moreover, hedgerow elements are also used as fencing for livestock. The second purpose of wood is to be burned – on one hand, to deliver heat for milk processing, cheese production, cooking, and heating, which is crucial as many farmhouses are not connected to the gas grid. On the other hand, the smaller, more humid and barkier parts of the wood are burned to produce heat and smoke, which is used for curing and smoking meat.

Additionally, wood is sold during money shortages to wood processors, who clear the pastures, as well as salaries to the workers, who are hired on certain days for clearing the pastures or cutting trees. Consequently, trees enable the creation of jobs in the region and provide resilience to farmers, which enables them to deal with on-farm problems and market shocks. Finally, woody materials can be sold either to local carpenters, other farmers or processors in the area. Thus, it plays a major role in several dimensions of SRD and SFSCs. Wood also contributes to farmers’ resilience through ensuring an independence of energy prices as well as creating a reserve in times of bad harvest or financially difficult situations. Wood processors that need a supply of rather low-quality material for producing pellets and briquettes for heating create yet another value stream from trees

I sell some wood, but not all at once. Just some wood, when we need money and leave it regrow. But mainly I use all the species, which are not of forestry or orchard interest. I use it for smoking meat products and heating the houses.

(Farmer 8)

The second produce provided by trees are fruits, mainly plums, pears, and apples. Apples or pears. are the base for the traditionally distilled liqueur “Tuica” and “Rachiu”. Both liqueurs have major importance for local festivities, everyday consumption, as gifts for friends and family, and as payment for workers. Liqueur is produced on almost every farm and is a big part of the local cultural identity and it is typically distilled from traditional knowledge and without hygiene controls. The home distilling law 368/2008, however, makes it almost impossible to enforce laws against selling unauthorized produced liqueur. Fruits are also processed into syrup and marmalade to make them durable for

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the winter. These goods are traded via existing SFSCs or consumed on-farm and are sold as delicacies to restaurants and hotels which want to provide authentic regional cuisine.

Consequently, fruits contribute to a broader product portfolio which allows smallholders to be economically more resilient and, at the same time, keeping their cultural values and traditions alive as well as connecting consumers to producers.

Although fruit products, such as syrup, jam, and liqueur, are not valued by governmental payment schemes, they are important sources of income and a commonplace product, found on every peasant market in the area and sold by street hawkers. Buyers are locals and tourists. The sales of these goods also attract a group of people who grew up, or used to live, in the mountainous areas of the Carpathians and have a personal connection to the taste of their childhood. Local gastronomy and hotels buy products on a regular basis, relying on trust-based oral contracts and thus contributing to the local SFSCs. In this way, local identity, the tourism sector, as well as social cohesion is strengthened. Moreover, trees, particularly oaks, provides the radicular prerequisite for the growth of truffles and porcini, which are an important ingredient for many traditional dishes and can be sold for high prices to local gastronomy outlets or via other SFSCs.

I do jam, palinka and syrup. All traditional, no inputs and I sell it because there is a very big demand from gastronomy and private people. With my trees, only the plum jam is 40% of my yearly income. In the future, I want to plant more plum

trees. (Farmer 9)

Thirdly, on-farm produced, local, traditional cheeses like Kashkaval as well as smoked and cured meat are prepared with the heat and smoke of burned woody tree cutoffs, and are the main products sold via SFSCs. It is usual for farmers to buy each other’s products or barter with their goods, as product diversification, on individual farms, is rather low. Thus, the rural population has a considerable choice of dairy, meat, and fruit products, in addition to home-grown vegetables and grains, which creates the possibility of a balanced diet. Local SFSCs are marked by trust-based relationships via neighbors and friends. At street markets, the suppliers, as well as the buyers, are underlying constant change, which leads to rather price-based buying decisions. People are brought together both at markets and via trust-based relationships and this may lead to a reduction of

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prejudices towards each other. This can be regarded as highly important in a post-socialist society in which mistrust and grudges are still present in people’s minds dating back to the days of denunciation and political pressure in producer cooperatives. This also hinders farmers from getting a common certificate or label as a marketing and quality sign. Furthermore, farmers have diversified products, which is considered highly important for them to be resilient to bad cropping years, disease and other incidents and to guarantee food security in the rural areas. Additionally, trees contribute to animal welfare, as animals naturally groom and like to rub on the trees and have sun-, wind- and rain-protection which moreover leads to stress reduction resulting in less fodder consumption (Kadzere et al., 2002; Kohari et al., 2007).

Basically, for the young cattle [having trees on the farm] is really good, they eat it, they scratch on it, they have shadows, it regulates the microclimate, it is excellent.

It is good for their stress protection, from wind, tree, rain, sun and so on.

(Farmer 7)

While these traditional growing and trading practices are contributing to many SRD and CAP goals through their connection to SFSCs, recent legislation, local institutions, and foibles, as well as the demographic development in the rural Carpathians, are hindering the prospering of these systems.