Eco-physiological aspects of the traditional meat (slow) food in Banat and its eco-bioeconomic impact.

Abstract

During the last few years numerous specialists have urged a return to traditional food, which is often complicated. One of the main conditions in order to obtain traditional products is to have qualitative raw ingredients. These ingredients are still obtained from certain animal breeds, but many of these breeds are on the verge of extinction. The so-called “Slow Food Culture” is beginning to spread in Banat as well, through authorities’ propaganda for traditional products. In Banat are 80 officially registered traditional products. The present paper connects Nicolas Georgescu-Roeger’s world-wide-known paradigm of improving the agricultural efficiency to Lester Brown’s more recent Eco-Economy–Building an Economy fo the Earth paradigm. The paper also presents a new point of view about a possible new paradigm of sustainable rural bioeconomics. The level of animal production indicates the progress of countries towards a sustainable society. As far as animal production is concerned, Romania is placed among the last within the EU countries. That fact is demonstrated by the number of livestock per 100 ha of land. To achieve a sustainable animal production in Romania, as far as cattle and sheep breeding is concerned, it is necessary to increase the average area of land per family up to 25–30 ha and to build up cooperatives of land owners to provide technical services for their members. The pig and poultry industries must be supported financially. As far as the EU market is concerned, the buffalo products, lean mutton and branded traditional animal products are of prime importance.