From engineer to farmer.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to encourage readers to think about a life after retirement, with an emphasis on the nature and activities of small agribusiness for actively retired people. The article can also provide a comparison between the activities of "re-converted" elderly farmers in different parts of Europe. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is an invited viewpoint piece and based upon the experience and opinions of an actively retired Romanian citizen, currently managing her small family farm. Findings - A complete change of work and living environment can be the much-needed step that many actively retired professionals need. Nevertheless, the success and happiness found following such a decision is also dependent on previous experiences and knowledge in the newly chosen field of activity, since these activities are not just a pastime, but can easily become the equivalent of a fulltime jobyor even more than this. Originality/value - The article provides not only a succinct overview of a small agribusiness run by an actively retired person, but also remarkable insight and understanding of the retirement for people from different cultures and professional backgrounds. It presents a different perspective of active retirement for elderly people in Eastern European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]