2014 Photo Contest, Observed Portraits, 3rd prize

Transylvania: Built on Grass

Photographer

Rena Effendi

INSTITUTE for National Geographic magazine

19 June, 2012

Ileana Borodi (24) minds her nine-month-old son Ioan, at her parents’ house in the village of Budesti, while her daughter Marioara (3) occupies herself.

In Transylvania and other remote areas of Romania, many people farm on a small scale, in ways unchanged for centuries. Their farms have among the lowest yields in Europe, but also some of the highest levels of self-sufficiency. Lack of money and suspicion of unfamiliar methods mean that few chemicals and artificial fertilizers are used. Farming families can expect an income of around €4,000 a year, often supplemented with earnings from other sources. Many are abandoning their farms for at least part of the year to work in cities abroad. Romania’s 2007 entry into the European Union also threatens this traditional way of life, as farmers cannot compete with European imports, and the small size of farms means they are not eligible for EU subsidies.

About the photographer

Rena Effendi

Rena Effendi is an award-winning documentary photographer whose work is described as having a deep sense of empathy with a quiet celebration of the strength of the human spirit. ...

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