Ecological subjectivity – Q-methodology Study in Rural Area of Dornelor Basin, Suceava County

Abstract

The design and implementation of agro-environmental policies would have an increased social efficiency if it started from the opinions, attitudes, ideas and appreciations of social actors involved in the production of ecological goods. In this paper, the approach to ecological subjectivity was based on Q methodology, which is both a qualitative research method and a statistical one. The study made it possible to identify the main types of personal micro-universes, of subjective models constructed according to the existing ecological issues. The study was conducted in Dornelor Basin, Suceava county, an area characterised by ecological concerns and farming practices, and it identified four major types of subjective configurations built on the basis of the impact of adopting environmentally friendly farming practices on: i) local labour force; ii) rural economy; iii) working conditions; iv) provision of ecosystem services.