Impact of SMEs on Local Economic and Social Communities from the Perspective of Small Enterprises Growing Medicinal Plants

Norbert Pászk; Klára Szűcsné Markovics

doi:10.18096/TMP.2026.01.02

Authors

Norbert Pászk University of Miskolc https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1817-5768
Klára Szűcsné Markovics University of Miskolc https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5842-6459

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18096/TMP.2026.01.02

Keywords:

Medicinal plants, medicinal plant cultivation, SMEs

Abstract

In this study, we sought to answer how herbalists perceive the extent and quality of their contribution and impact on the life of small settlements from an economic and social perspective. As the primary part of our research, we conducted semi-structured professional interview research with 32 herbalist professionals and 4 settlement leaders from different parts of the country. The semi-structured interviews contained 32 questions for the growers and 18 questions for the settlement leaders. Based on the results, it can be said that according to small herbalist businesses, tax revenues, job creation, settlement promotion and tourism are the most important types of impact with which they participate in the life of settlements. They have a medium relationship with other enterprises operating in their settlement, they do not feel these relationships are too close. On the whole, small herbal medicine growing enterprises have a closer relationship with the residents of the settlements, but there are enterprises that have no relationship with the local population at all. We examined the impact of herbal medicine growing enterprises on their settlement in terms of 18 factors and in general it can be said that the environmental, health-conscious and ecological factors were rated highest by the interviewees.

Author Biographies

Norbert Pászk, University of Miskolc

Assistant Lecturer, Head of Department - University of Miskolc, Faculty of Health Science
PhD Student - University of Miskolc, Faculty of Economics

Klára Szűcsné Markovics, University of Miskolc

Associate Professor, University of Miskolc, Faculty of Economics

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