Vrancea County is a predominantly rural area in which natural components are harmoniously combined in three major relief steps, which require a specific functional zoning from the economy point of view. Given the fact that mineral resources are found in limited quantities, the solution to the economic development of local communities in rural areas is the rational use of land resources and agriculture and zootechnic sector development, to which it can be also added the tourist resources, so as to exceed the subsistence level and to add extra value to the local area. This chapter focuses on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative indicators that reflect the current state of the resources of the land and agricultural background, their evolution over time, but also try to explain as more realistic the current status of the Vrancea motherland in a county and regional context.
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Compared to the national economy, within the local economy each village may be considered as a nation and each household as a businessman (Samphantharak & Townsend, 2008).
Some experts have the opinion that the dynamics of the regional or local development is not primarily related to the factors of production. The ability of a country (administrative units) to attract and to capture household income is the basis of the current residential economy, which changes today the destiny of several communities offering at the same time development opportunities for territories whose productive economy is weak or non-existent.
Thus, for many communities, it appears the problem of attractiveness, rather than the of competitiveness, being adopted now the most suitable strategies focused on territorial attractiveness, with respect to the services offered to citizens, the quality of life, the development of the natural environment built, of the cultural heritage, etc. The territories that manage to combine productive economy by attracting and maintaining residents income can be considered the most dynamic. The ideal would be to maintain the productive economy and to promote efficient the residential economy.
Wendell Berry (1996) stated in his essay that it's time to be seen the difference between a local small business that must protect the fate of the local community and a large corporation, absent from the lives of the community, but which has the main purpose to ruin the local community. The idea of a local economy is based only on two principles: of the neighbourhood and subsistence. Into a viable community, neighbours are asking what they can do or provide for one another, and they find answers that local conditions may grant.
The role of the local economy is fundamental. Strong local economies make regions and communities much stronger. This often translates into improved the quality of life for those who live and work in the communities (http://www.learningsustainability.com).
The economic policy often determines the strength of the local economies. Under the conditions of globalization the mobility of large traders (multinational companies) often have low interest in increasing the quality of life of the communities from the profits are extracted. These big profits tend to focus on global interests and not for the communities in which they operate; the risk is emphasizing the differences between the rich and the poor. Therefore, preventing the emergence of social disparities can be done by encouraging the growth of incomes policies in the local community, attracting profits within them, creating strong local economies through a sustainable policy (Nedelcu, 2013).