Farms In Romania Research Articles

African swine fever virus DNA is present in non-biting flies collected from outbreak farms in Romania

BackgroundAfrican swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and severe haemorrhagic disease of Suidae, with mortalities that approach 100 percent. Several studies suggested the potential implication of non-biting dipterans in the spread of ASFV in pig farms due to the identification of the ASFV DNA. However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the viral DNA load in non-biting dipterans collected in outbreak farms and no risk factors have been analysed. In this context, our study aimed to analyse the risk factors associated with the presence of non-biting dipterans collected from ASF outbreaks in relation to the presence and load of viral DNA.MethodsBackyard farms (BF), type A farms (TAF), and commercial farms (CF), were targeted for sampling in 2020. In 2021, no BF were sampled. Each farm was sampled only once. The identification of the collected flies to family, genus, or species level was performed based on morphological characteristics using specific keys and descriptions. Pools were made prior to DNA extraction. All extracted DNA was tested for the presence of the ASFV using a real-time PCR protocol. For this study, we considered every sample with a CT value of 40 as positive. The statistical analysis was performed using Epi Info 7 software (CDC, USA).ResultsAll collected non-biting flies belonged to five families: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Fanniidae, Drosophilidae, and Muscidae. Of the 361 pools, 201 were positive for the presence of ASFV DNA. The obtained CT values of the positive samples ranged from 21.54 to 39.63, with a median value of 33.59 and a mean value of 33.56. Significantly lower CT values (corresponding to higher viral DNA load) were obtained in Sarcophagidae, with a mean value of 32.56; a significantly higher number of positive pools were noticed in August, mean value = 33.12.ConclusionsOur study brings compelling evidence of the presence of the most common synanthropic flies near domestic pig farms carrying ASFV DNA, highlighting the importance of strengthening the biosecurity measures and protocols for prevention of the insect life cycle and distribution.Graphical

Sustainable Viticulture and Organic Farming in Romania: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Development

Abstract Sustainable agriculture is a concept based on different pillars that include the need to nurture healthy ecosystems and support the sustainable management of land, water and natural resources while ensuring profitability and social and economic equity. In order to achieve agricultural productivity in a sustainable way it is important to meet the environmental and climate challenges regarding food security, quality and sustainability. Nowadays, the global wine industry is facing profound changes that echo in the Romanian wine sector as well. In order to face these challenges, the Romanian wine sector must concentrate on its future to achieve sustainable development goals. In addition, the Romanian Organic agriculture has great potential of development that serves both the domestic and foreign markets. Starting from the new EU financial frameworks, Romania has the chance to develop the organic sector, based on the EU funding. Investing in organic farming is timely and strategic. The organic sector can prevent the loss of biodiversity; improve the ways of living of all actors in the food value chain, and help farmers move to more sustainable agro ecological practices. The ways of action for the sustainability of the sector should target the area of standards for competitive sustainability and the protection of human health in close connection with the one health concept. The article focuses on the Romanian wine and organic agricultural sectors and the need to achieve a sustainable development in order to face future challenges.

Vertical farming in Romania – from research to business

Vertical farming in Romania – from research to business

Satureja hortensis L. and Calendula officinalis L., Two Romanian Plants, with In Vivo Antiparasitic Potential against Digestive Parasites of Swine.

Internal parasitic diseases of swine constitute a major welfare and health concern in low-input livestock farming. Due to an increase in chemical resistance, phytotherapeutic remedies have become an alternative for the prophylaxis and therapy of digestive parasitosis, albeit few remedies have been subjected to scientific validation. Low-input swine farming in Romania has adopted the traditional use of phytotherapy for controlling pathogens in livestock. The current study aimed to assess the antiparasitic potential of Calendula officinalis and Satureja hortensis against digestive parasites of swine in two low-input farms. The fecal samples were collected from sows, fatteners, and weaners, and were tested using the following coproparasitological methods: centrifugal sedimentation, flotation (Willis, McMaster egg counting technique), Ziehl-Neelsen stain modified by Henricksen, modified Blagg method, and in vitro nematode larvae/protozoan oocyst cultures. Six species of digestive parasites were diagnosed, namely Ascaris suum, Trichuris suis, Oesophagostomum spp., Balantioides coli, Eimeria spp., and Cryptosporidium spp., in various combinations, dependent on the swine category. A dose of 140 mg/kg bw/day of C. officinalis and 100 mg/kg bw/day of S. hortensis powders administered for 10 consecutive days revealed a strong antiprotozoal and anthelmintic activity on the aforementioned parasites. The curative efficacy can be attributed to the presence of polyphenols, sterols, tocopherols, and methoxylated flavones. In conclusion, our results indicate that S. hortensis and C. officinalis are promising alternatives to the commercially available antiparasitics, enabling their use as natural antiparasitic products against gastrointestinal parasites in pigs.

Experimental research on the use of innovative phytoextracts in cow with clinical endometritis

Clinical endometritis is a frequent and important pathology on farms in Romania and not only, so we created and obtained a preparation exclusively from plants in different forms of administration (tablets and intrauterine solution), with which to treat the cows under study. We chose a group of cattle that we divided into 4 batches of cows, a control batch treated with classical medication, a batch treated with intrauterine solution, a batch treated only with tablets, and the fourth batch was treated with tablets and intrauterine solution. Based on a well-established working protocol and paraclinical investigations performed, it was demonstrated the usefulness of phytoextracts in the prevention and treatment of clinical endometritis, but also the way of stimulating the immune response associated with a shorter healing time.

Evaluation of the Biomass Energy Production Potential in Agricultural Holdings in Relation to Their Size. Case Study for COP Farms in Romania

Biomass energy production is a priority for the global economy in terms of ensuring the premises for sustainable development. The current context, determined by increases in energy costs, involves the identification of applicable and eco-intensive measures by which the use of biomass in productive activities will reduce the level of pollution and, implicitly, global warming. Progress of the bioeconomy is intercorrelated with the dimension of agriculture, which is the major provider of biomass for food, feed, and other bio-based industries. The agricultural sector in the last decades is characterized by an increase in energy production and consumption, with direct consequences on the environment. Biomass is for Romania, a renewable energy source, particularly valuable, both in terms of potential and in terms of future use, through complementarity with the sustainable development programs of the state that aim to develop the capacity of production and the creation of well-being. This research aims to estimate the energy efficiency of three types of COP farms (which cultivate cereals, oilseeds, and protein crops) of different physical sizes, and the analysis of the potential energy generated by energetical cultures, with emphasis on biomass energy. The energy balance at the farm level remains a very important method to determine the efficiency of agricultural systems and for the assessment of potential energy from biomass. With this study, we emphasize the need to support a more sustainable demand for biomass and to make the bioeconomy market more competitive.

ASSESSMENT OF THE SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL IN THE ROMANIAN NEARSHORE

In December 2019, the first official European Green Deal document was released, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions gradually by 2050, when the carbon neutrality target should be reached. The aim of the paper is to analyse the possibility of implementing solar farms in Romania with particular interest for the nearshore area of the Black Sea. Moreover, it is analysed the current status of electricity generation sources in Romania, the profile of consumers connected to the National Energy System (NES), and the electricity injected into the grid through solar farms. On the other hand, the possibility of intermittent injection of energy into the grid and the effects on the stability of the national energy system are analysed.

The Dynamics of the Implementation of Organic Farming in Romania

Organic farming is a branch of interest in the context of the global economy oriented at reducing pollution, increasing food quality and reducing the impact on the environment. The objective of this research is to identify the main components of organic farming in Romania and their dynamics in the period 2010–2020 to identify changes in agricultural policy elements with an impact on the development strategy of Romanian agriculture in the medium term. The methodology used aims at the analytical and empirical research of the changes in the agricultural policy in the period 2010–2020 and the quantification of a statistical tool to evaluate the impact of these changes in the development of organic farming. The results are useful for decision makers to adopt viable medium-term strategies for organic farming.

Models Underlying the Success Development of Family Farms in Romania

A family farm is an important part of the countryside, both economically and especially socially. In recent years, legislative measures have encouraged the development of large farms, ensuring food security while neglecting family farms, which are characterised by a lack of organisation, the absence of proper classification and the absence of measures to encourage their development and protection. In order to identify the premises underlying the development of family farms, and to create a development model for those family farms in a poor economic situation, the BMC method and SWOT analysis of seven family farms considered successful models were used. The development of these types of farms could provide a solution to a major problem facing the Romanian countryside: the depopulation of rural areas. The results of the study show that the development of these types of farms is based on joining an associative form (cooperatives) and/or making investments in the processing/storage line of agricultural products.

Site suitability for photovoltaic farms and current investment in Romania

In recent decades, development in the field of solar energy has been a growing challenge in the context of the transition from conventional to renewable energy sources. However, there are cases where investments in photovoltaic farms do not reach the maximum potential of a territory for their emplacement. Therefore, the present study aims to analyse the site suitability for photovoltaic farms in Romania in relation to current investments in the field. The suitability map was obtained through a simple heuristic approach, based on the Multicriteria Evaluation of favourable/restrictive biophysical and anthropogenic data, integrated in the GIS-Weighted Overlay spatial analysis. The results were compared to the current distribution of photovoltaic farms, quantified by the visual interpretation of high-resolution images provided by Google Earth. Overall, the suitability map obtained shows a relatively high potential for the location and expansion of photovoltaic farms in the area, the very high and high suitability classes summing more than 7,000,000 ha (29.9% of the country's area). The highest potential has been obtained for the southern and south-eastern part of Romania, where the zonal calculated mean suitability scores highlighted the Bucharest-Ilfov (4.94), South-West Oltenia (4.64), South-Muntenia (4.63) and Southeast (4.42) development regions (NUTS II). However, analysing the frequency of existing photovoltaic farms, the study indicates a potential for solar energy not yet sufficiently exploited, but also possibly inappropriate between the degree of suitability and the photovoltaic farms implemented so far. Hence, the comparison of calculated mean suitability scores and the percentage of the total area allocated for existing photovoltaic farms indicates several mismatches between the investments made in the area and the modelled site suitability, mainly in the Ilfov, Tulcea, Constanța, Buzău, Satu-Mare, Brașov, Prahova and Galați counties. At the same time, the results reveal an alternate possibility of using/reusing degraded or contaminated land, through investments in the solar energy, several aspects being highlighted for the ceased mining areas, landfills near urban centres, or poorly productive agricultural lands. This study can provide important information to decision makers and potential investors, in order to streamline future projects by setting up photovoltaic farms in accordance with the modelled suitability classes.

Indicator-based analysis of organic farming in Romania. Regional spatial patterns

ABSTRACT Organic farming is regarded as the most effective and environmentally friendly solution to the growing pressure on land resources as a result of population growth and urban demand for goods and services. In Romania, little research has been conducted on the geographical distribution of organic farming at regional level and no research at local level. Using both secondary and primary data for two years (2014 and 2018), the paper examines the spatial distribution and changes of organic farming in Romania. By using several indicators computed at the Local Administrative Unit (LAU) level, an overall picture of organic farming in Romania is provided. The results suggest regional disparities in the dynamics of the organic area, as well as several major concentrations of organic producers: one livestock-dominated located in the mountain-plateau-hilly region in the central, north and north-east of Romania and another crop-dominated found in the plain regions of the west, south and south-east. Apart from this spatial clustering, the pattern of organic farming is quite random, strongly depending on the local environmental conditions. Moreover, the authors identified a tight relationship between the development and spatial distribution of organic farming and policies support and European subsidies through Common Agricultural Policy.

The impact of anthropogenic activities to the level of some POPs residues in bovine milk from several farms in Romania

The impact of anthropogenic activities to the level of some POPs residues in bovine milk from several farms in Romania

Analysis of Economic Performance in Agriculture Using Econometric Modeling

Abstract Agriculture is a priority sector of the national economy, so the analysis of the economic performance of agricultural holdings in Romania using modern methods, such as econometric modeling, is of particular importance. In this article is made an analysis of economic performance, expressed by ROA and ROE, for the first 500 farms in Romania (ordered by turnover size), over a period of 5 years, the purpose being to provide an answer to a fundamental research question: Which are the economic indicators/variables that significantly influence the economic performance expressed by ROA and ROE? The results of this study highlight the relevance of the econometric modeling applied for performance analysis as well as the main indicators that significantly influence the economic performance of agricultural holdings expressed by ROA and ROE. The paper brings a significant contribution to make correct decisions aimed at the economic performance of the agricultural sector.

Risk factors for African swine fever incursion in Romanian domestic farms during 2019

African swine fever (ASF) entered Georgia in 2007 and the EU in 2014. In the EU, the virus primarily spread in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the period from 2014–2018. However, from the summer 2018, numerous domestic pig farms in Romania were affected by ASF. In contrast to the existing knowledge on ASF transmission routes, the understanding of risk factors and the importance of different transmission routes is still limited. In the period from May to September 2019, 655 Romanian pig farms were included in a matched case-control study investigating possible risk factors for ASF incursion in commercial and backyard pig farms. The results showed that close proximity to outbreaks in domestic farms was a risk factor in commercial as well as backyard farms. Furthermore, in backyard farms, herd size, wild boar abundance around the farm, number of domestic outbreaks within 2 km around farms, short distance to wild boar cases and visits of professionals working on farms were statistically significant risk factors. Additionally, growing crops around the farm, which could potentially attract wild boar, and feeding forage from ASF affected areas to the pigs were risk factors for ASF incursion in backyard farms.

Perception Towards Organic vs. Conventional Products in Romania

The aim of this study was to elicit answers referring to the consumer perception with respect to organic products. Factors that determine behavior were also considered: Gender, age, education, income, or social status. Analysis of data collected revealed that perception is the psycho-cognitive element that may determine the expression of behavior in relation to the organic production system. Furthermore, organic farming in Romania is a relatively recently formed market segment. The study was carried out by using a questionnaire developed specifically for this purpose, on a sample of 226 respondents. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed by employing the contingency coefficient and Pearson chi-square tests, using the SPSS software version 20. The perception of organic food is associated with its nutritional quality or sensory attributes (appearance, taste, flavor).

Limiting Factors that Influence the Formation of Producer Groups in the South-East Region of Romania: A Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

The fragmentation of the Agricultural Real Estate in Romania, which is due to the lack of vision regarding the retrocession of the land and to the ineffective measures for reparcelling farmland, manifests by the existence of a record number of about 3422 million farms in Romania, of which about 92% have a utilized agricultural area (UAA) below 5 ha. The Romanian agricultural sector possesses about 30% of the total European farms but contributes only 3% to the total EU agricultural production. The association of local agricultural producers may be an alternative to reparcelling farmland on a short-term basis in order to reduce the fragmentation degree and increase the competitiveness of the national agricultural sector. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 25 active groups of agricultural producers are registered in the South-East Region in 2018, where these associative entities have been recorded to have a low degree of viability. The paper proposes an analysis on the farmers’ motivation regarding the access to/exit from a form of agricultural association and the identification of some alternatives for increasing the viability of the associative forms in the agricultural sector in the South-East of Romania. In this respect, a study was carried out on a sample of 16 entities that gave up their status of producer groups in the analyzed region in 2011–2018. The Fuzzy Set Quantitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) Qualitative analysis method was applied, which identified the main influence factors that have led to the disappearance of this associative form. We consider this study relevant for drawing attention to the main obstacles that Romanian farmers face in joining an associative form. The study has shown that mainly the factors directly influenced by government policies have led to the withdrawal of a relatively large number of producers from producer groups in the studied region.

Studies on Biodiversity Diagnosis of Vineyard Farms at the Agro-Ecological Infrastructure Level

In Romania, the vine farms are currently spread on approximately 180.000 ha, therefore an important part of biodiversity, functional or planned is present. To avoid a biodiversity decline it is necessary for the vineyards to have a clear evidence of the state of their biodiversity.Based on the results obtained from the studied vineyards, during 2015, the agro-ecological infrastructure or AEI percent based on the actual area occupied varies between 7% and 35%. Evaluation of the implementation AEI during 2015 in wine-growing farms in Romania showed that the amount of semi-natural elements is not sufficient to stop the loss of biodiversity and their quality needs to be favored also.

Students Involved in Animal Breeding

In last decade, Romanian agriculture does not follow entirely the European and programs as concerns land exploitation and animal farming (SAPARD). Restrictive development projects (POS-MEDIU, POS-DRU, POS-CCE) were active only in large private farms, which represent only 10.7% of the total registered farms in Romania. Was used a questionnaire for 36 students of our faculty, which have animal farms in 7 counties in Northwest of Transylvania. The study want to put into evidence the current problems of farmers in conditions of some private farms with small and middle number of animals. As small farms, they do not obtain important productions because of financial resource absence, limited professional education and absence of association in bigger exploitation farms. In these situations, the government must react providing a legal frame for rural agricultural development, supporting and supervising these small exploitations.

Soil eco-risk assessment using a simple earthworm (Eisenia fetida) qualitative avoidance test: A Romanian case study of five swine farm surroundings

The assessment of soil contamination and natural self-purification dynamic soil processes can be accomplished by numerous eco-hygienic and sanitary means without additional pollution. Among these, sublethal earthworm avoidance behavior tests have proven to be most effective. The aim of this case study was to determine the soil pollution risk in five large swine farms in Romania by using an avoidance behavior test as a screening tool with adult specimens of the earthworm <i>Eisenia fetida</i> (ISO 17512-1:2008 qualitative test). Two soil samples were extracted at 100 to 300 m (328 to 984 ft) and 500 to 1,000 m (1,640 to 3,280 ft) distance from each swine farm, and a single sample was taken at 1,300 m (4,265 ft) distance. The results were analyzed statistically using the Anderson-Darling Normality Test (NIST/SEMATECH) and have shown that out of the 11 soil samples, the earthworms strongly avoided (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.005) 4 of them, confirming a potential eco-risk. The majority of the samples avoided by the specimens were collected at the 500 to 1,000 m range. However, the soil sample taken 1,300 m away from the farm showed that, at this distance, the soil had no sign of contaminants, as earthworms preferred the testing soil to the reference sample. In our opinion, this simple assessment, which produces fast and accurate results, should be included in a battery of tests as a helpful early qualitative screening tool in soil contamination assessment procedures to reveal a potential eco-risk.

Sustainability and Competitiveness of Romanian Farms through Organic Agriculture

Currently, the development of any sector involves respecting the principles of sustainability, which means economic, social and environmental development. Moreover, organic farming is a very important field for ensuring sustainable development. Romania has great potential for the development of organic agriculture, especially due to the large number of available farmland and reduced use of fertilizers and other chemicals. However, the development of organic farming in Romania is in an early stage, due to the numerous problems that Romanian agriculture is still facing. Concern for the environment should be reflected at the level of production processes and consumption. As market demand influences and stimulates production, we can ask the question to what extent stimulating the consumption of organic products through green marketing can boost organic agriculture development and competitiveness of Romanian farms. Using several methods of research, such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, statistical methods and by calling on studies, reports and data series on organic farming in the EU and Romania, this paper highlights Romania's position in terms of the level of development of organic agriculture and recommends several ways to improve the outcomes obtained by Romania in the field. Moreover, based on regression equations, the trend of convergence of Romanian organic agriculture development in relation to the EU countries is analysed. The paper demonstrates that one of the measures that can be taken by Romanian farms is green marketing strategy development that can stimulate both consumption and production of organic products. Therefore, with increasing interest in the development of organic agriculture in Romania, green marketing can play an increasingly important role in promoting the benefits of consuming organic products, thus contributing to business development of organic products as well as to the development of Romanian agriculture. Promoting organic agriculture through the use of green marketing techniques is useful for improving human, environmental and economic health, in the context of sustainable development.