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The paper presents the current situation as regards the circular economy in agriculture in Romania, while also taking into consideration its global impact. We have here a system globally endorsed by the United Nations. It is also important for regional organisations such as the European Union or la Francophonie as the circular economy seems to have a high number of advantages in tackling climate change, creating a sustainable food chain, improving the organic character of the agriculture, etc. From that perspective Romania represents an interesting case study as it is both a European Union member state and a member of the Francophonie. It thus follows both sets of rules and recommendations in order to improve its status. The paper uses the bibliographic method and reviews the main documents that settle this aspect and presents the legal framework for circular economy. The put into practice of the circular economy in the Romanian agriculture would bring a series of advantages (environment, food safety, etc.) while also requiring systemic transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, special foliar fertilisation has become widespread because it is distinguished by a high economic efficiency, especially in: conditions of soils with low accessibility of nutrients, calcareous and alkaline soils where foliar fertilisation represents an efficient mean of curative treatment for iron, zinc and manganese deficiencies; semiarid areas where the water and thermal stress drastically limits the accessibility of plants at nutrients from the soil; the reproductive period of the plants, when the root activity is low. The paper presents the results obtained by applying special foliar fertilisers, under pedoclimatic conditions in Iași. These foliar fertilisers were tested on the sunflower crops, HS Rapid and HS PR 475 hybrids, in order to correct the micronutrients disorders (Mo and B) on inbred sunflower lines in hybrid sunflower seed production, having the following chemical composition: ▪ ICF 624 (g element or substance / kg of fertilizer): 183 N, 62 P, 114 K, 21 S, 0.4 Fe, 0.5 Mn, 0.35 Zn, 0.25 Cu, 0.01 Co, 0.80 B, 0.15 Mo; ▪ ICF 624 a (g element or substance / kg of fertilizer): 217 N, 73 P, 96 K, 21 S, 0.4 Fe, 0.5 Mn, 0.35 Zn, 0.25 Cu, 1.50 B, 0.66 Mo. The tested fertilisers have determined a significant specific yield increase and have assured a high environmental protection effect, quantified as the net exports of macronutrients from soil with the obtained yield increases. Thus, the average yield increases were between 292-587 kg/ha and the specific yield increases were between 19.50-39.15 kg seed / kg or liter of foliar fertiliser. From a practical point of view, using this method of special foliar fertilisation, we obtain besides the important production increases, significant effects of reducing the phenomenon of chemical pollution of the environment. However, due to the high nutrient consumption, the use of such a method and mean, under poorly supplied soils with nutrients (without basic fertilization in the soil), can contribute to the degradation of soil fertility. Therefore, it is recommended the concomitant use of soil fertilisation and foliar fertilisation with these special compositions, the optimal ratio between basic and foliar fertilisation being 90:10. The paper also presents and analyses a series of indicators related to the cultivation and to the production of sunflower seeds in Romania.

The cultivation of hops, a traditional activity in the area of Transylvania, where the plants also meet good conditions for development, experienced a pronounced decline after 1990. The lack of funds for the establishment of crops and maintenance in the first years of vegetation, the special plant support system, the old varieties, the effects of climate change and the lack of an irrigation infrastructure have negatively influenced the development of hop farms. Despite the fact that processors have increased the demand for this crop, as a result of its multiple uses, in 2022 in Romania 165 ha were cultivated and a production of 191 tons was obtained, in only three counties in the heart of Transylvania, Alba, Mureș and Sibiu. Mureș County owned 75% of the areas cultivated with hops and 44% of the harvest obtained. At the same time, in the context of the decrease in local beer production, the quantitative and value imports of Romanian hop products also decreased. In order to revitalize this sector, the Common Agricultural Policy, through Strategic Plan 2023-2027 for Romania, has introduced a special Field of Intervention for hops and table grape growers (DR-17) which joins other interventions necessary for processing, for the establishment of producer groups, farmer training and consulting. Added to this is the support granted by Pillar I of the Common Agricultural Policy: Coupled income support (PD - 15), Eco-schemes (PD - 06) and Transitional National Aid (ANT - 5), which will represent an important support for farmers and will contribute to the increase of the surfaces and the production obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romania is a major sheep and goat breeding country in Eastern Europe and has trading partners for live animals and sheep and goat meat trade, both inside and outside the EU (e.g., in the Balkans, Middle East and Asia). The paper presents the quantity and value of the world's largest live sheep and goat and their meat importers and exporters for the period 2018-2022. At the same time, Romania's main partners and its position on the sheep and goat meat market are highlighted. The methodology used included a statistical analysis of trade quantities and values based on the International Trade Center data series. The results of the study show that Romania developed well in terms of value exports of live sheep and goats, becoming number one in the world during the study period. Romania also ranked 27th in the category of fresh, chilled or frozen sheep or goat meat exports by value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent pandemic, as well as sustainability issues have led to changing trends when it comes food purchasing and consumption. Thus, more and more consumers tend to pay more attention to how the food is produced, processed, handled and marketed. Over the past few years, the organic food market has experienced a notable surge in popularity. This study seeks to examine the factors and obstacles shaping the consumption of organic products. Additionally, it aims to explore the socio-demographic traits of consumers in this category and identify the primary types of preferred organic products. The study's convenience sample of 214 customers from Romania's Bihor County served as the basis for data collection, which was done online. The results of our study show that the confidence that a product is organic ranked first among all factors on the consumer's list, followed by a price similar to normal food products and certification by a control body. Organic vegetables, fruits, and eggs were among the most preferred products by the consumers, while processed and canned goods ranked lower on the preferences list for the respondents. Concerning obstacles to organic food consumption, the main concern is related to the additional cost that consumers have to cover relative to other food items. Additionally, half of the respondents who abstain from organic product consumption expressed a lack of belief in organic certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of rural development is of utmost for countries such as Romania. In the current climate of tension generated by the post-pandemic recovery and geopolitical turmoil, rural development has been more important than ever. We are living in a time of great structural duress and the solutions are becoming more political as the effects of the policy are political ones. There is a transformation of the policy into politics as the Common Agricultural Policy and the Rural Development policy by any other name would still be politics. In this context, the flexibilization provided by the National Strategic Plan is more than welcome. The purpose of the paper is to analyse how the policy elements from CAP are turning into politics and are influencing the Member States politics. As the CAP post-2020 unfolded new tools such as the National Strategic Plan were added to the EC toolbox, but often their design was influenced by national specificities. The paper performs a desk review analysis of the existing sources and has a case study the way in which this process unfolded in Romania. What is of importance in all that time-consuming process is the fact that for the first time we witnessed a large-scale reflection process throughout the European Union member states. It was partially favoured by the COVID-19 pandemic which put everything on hold for a couple of months. That combined with the need to reform made everything more democratic and more advanced and reformist than the initial proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the characteristics of the agricultural sector in Romania, through the lens of the land grabbing phenomena. It is one of the latest additions to an already full agenda of challenges that rural development must address. Land grabbing deprives the population of the ability to make decisions about the national land (what is cultivated, what agricultural practices are used, what is the purpose of the land), nullifying food sovereignty. Also, the possibility of young people to choose agriculture as a field of activity is restricted by the privatization of land, although they receive subsidies for establishing themselves as young farmers. The analysis carried out in the period 2015-2021 indicated that approximately 40% of Romanian agricultural land is owned by foreign owners, while 46% of the population lives in the countryside and 1.6 million people are employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing. The results showed that the largest areas are owned by Italy, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. The main fields of activity are the following: agriculture, forestry, conservation and renewable energy. At the same time, subsidies can represent significant income for large areas of land. For the studied period, an increase in the prices of arable land in Romania was found, although they are lower than in other European countries. The biggest increases in arable land prices were recorded in the West, South-East and South-West Oltenia Regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic is particularly important because toxins cause mycotoxins in plants and animals and remain in food products obtained from infected organisms and they are mutagenic, teratogenic and estrogenic effects in animal and human bodies. Also, may be a serious threat to human health. This study presents the mineral nutrition status of winter wheat in connection with the risks of wheat contamination by Fusarium toxins in the soil conditions at INCDA Fundulea. The plants selected for testing were ten wheat cultivars, identified as susceptible to infection with Fusarium graminearum. The soil from the experiment was Cambic Chernozem. Two types of parcels were included in the experiment: one with healthy plants and another with artificially infected plants. In order to quantify the mineral nutrition status of plant with macro and micronutrients, the plant analyses were being carried out in the ear emergence-flowering phase. The obtained results it was interpreted in connection with the optimum limits of mineral contents in dry matter, mentioned in the specialty literature. The N and K ratios between healthy plant and artificially infected plants it was processed based on analytical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fruit-growing sector in Romania has been deeply affected by the transition period and suffered a constant decline, while also the technological equipment related to it has been affected by the passage of time and the lack of investments. After the EU accession a series of investments started to be done. One of the latest one is the submeasure 4.1 dedicated to the fruit growing sector. The paper analyses the 2014 -- 2020 investments done through this sub-measure in the North-West region in order to see how the situation has improved and what are the expected changes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important aspect discussed nowadays is the impact of new technologies and digitalization as such on the agricultural sector. Faced with numerous challenges such as the need for increased productivity, the need to become greener or the dwindling demographics the digitalization of agriculture and the so-called precision farming seem to be the envisaged solutions. This process of transition is not without any challenges as the pressure on change is high and the costs are similar. The desk review analysis used identified a series of relevant studies and articles that have shown both the pros and cons of this process. The EU through the CAP post-2020 is creating the necessary mechanisms to support this transition and the implementation of this new tool of the National Strategic Plans, in full respect of the subsidiarity principle, is meant to provide to each Member State its framework for the transition adapted to the national specificities. Romania is no longer a newcomer in this process and already the wheels of change are in motion, as more and more experts realize the importance of using the European toolbox in the area of CAP to promote a timely and optimal digital transition toward new agriculture, where no one is left behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the world level, currently, more and more emphasis is being placed on the development of techniques and methods to reduce the incidence of Fusarium head blight in cereals based on links in plant culture technology. In this context, the purpose of this work is to evaluate the reaction of some wheat varieties to NPK fertilization in connection with the risk of Fusarium graminearum contamination. The experiments took place at SCDCB Târgu Mureș (Research and Development Station for Cattle Breeding), and the type of soil was Haplic Luvisol. From the obtained results, it was found that the application of potassium fertilization, in the studied area, can lead to a reduction in the incidence of Fusarium graminearum attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beef is known to be an important ingredient in the cuisine of European countries, and globally it ranks third in consumer preferences. In this context, the paper describes aspects related to cattle herds as well as slaughtered cattle and beef production in the European Union and in the main countries where the breeding of these animals is a tradition. Thus, France, Germany and Ireland were in the first positions. At the same time, EU beef imports and exports are presented, in terms of value for the categories: live animals, fresh and chilled beef and frozen beef. Against the background of the current geopolitical instability, it is worth noting that Romania does not occupy an important position on the beef market, especially since the number of animals and slaughtered meat production decreased during the analyzed period, 2015-2021. Instead, for our country we can see an increase in imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with events and travel on hold, all sectors of the hospitality industry have been challenged to reimagine their business models to keep their businesses profitable, even by rethinking them towards sustainability. While there have been positive signs of recovery and increases in hotel bookings, the pandemic has dramatically changed consumer demands and expectations, forcing companies to adapt their offerings accordingly, so hotels have gotten creative over the past 2 years in repurposing and selling rooms and spaces for events, after the negative impact caused by the SARS COV 2 pandemic. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the actions undertaken by tourism operators in order to reinvent the services offered as a result of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As it is well known, Romania is an important cultivator and producer of wheat in the European Union. Due to the pedo-climatic conditions that our country has, wheat is found in all development regions, and especially in the South-Muntenia Region. Here, in 2020, 602,794 ha were cultivated, representing 28% of Romania's total area cultivated with wheat. The production obtained was 1,753,248 tons, and accounted for 27% of Romania's total wheat production. Unfortunately, this crop faces diseases and pests that can affect plant nutrition and development, and ultimately influences indicators such as the average production and total production. Contamination of cereals with toxic fungal metabolites is one of the main problems of contemporary agriculture. Fusarium species are the most dangerous pathogens of cereals and have a high level of toxicity. These metabolites are the main cause of the development of cereal fusarium (FHB). Under the existing natural conditions at Albota-Pitesti Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS), Arges County the paper presents several studies on the mineral nutrition of winter wheat subject to the risk of contamination with Fusarium toxins. It should be noted that the types of soil on which the experiments were performed were Vertic Luvisols. Five winter wheat varieties were selected for testing: Delabrad, Dropia, Faur, Glosa and Gruia. The phenophases in which the mineral nutrition of the plants was characterized with macro and micronutrients, were those of the ear emergence-flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer protection is very important when we talk about everything that involves the activity in the supermarket, just to support the consumer and give him confidence that everything he buys from them, are products that comply with the rules of quality and safety according to law. national and European standards. This paper addresses some of the non-compliant issues facing consumers when purchasing products from the supermarket and highlights some misleading practices used by retailers as well as consumer behaviour regarding them. Thus, a questionnaire with a number of 20 questions was applied which had a number of 168 respondents. The conclusion regarding the behaviour of consumers when they have been in contact with non-compliant products is that they react passively, so that 91.1% of respondents have never made a complaint to one of the institutions entitled to consumer protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our opinion, the Local Action Groups represent an important point in the development of the rural area due to the public-private partnership between various actors such as public authorities, NGOs involved in local development, farmers and entrepreneurs in the non-agricultural sector. Continuing to fund their work under the second pillar of the CAP through the NRDP 2014-2020 has contributed to maintaining and developing these partnerships due to the inclusion of cities that meet the necessary criteria. The paper presents the LEADER axis and what it entails by presenting the Action Groups at the level of Bihor County, respectively of the Bihor Gal on the Border with Hungary and its local development plan for the period 2014-2020, this being the largest LAG in County level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last two years (March 2020-March 2022) have been marked by the SARS COV 2 pandemic, a pandemic that has had considerable negative effects on many areas of activity of which perhaps the most affected has been the HoReCa industry with all that entails. The study focuses on the development of sustainable tourism in the context of recent years, respectively on changing the behavior of tourists regarding all that involves the development of such tourism, as a necessity of modern times due to awareness of the importance of eliminating the negative factors of tourism on the environment. The intervention of the bioeconomy in the development of a sustainable tourism is a premise of fulfilling the challenge to maintain a healthy environment but also to respond to the growing demand from tourists for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the cultivation of fruit trees is a traditional activity in Romania and our country has natural potential in this regard, both the cultivated area and the fruit production have decreased lately. That is why the NRDP 2014-2020 included a sub-programme for this sector, with sub-measures to redress the field and successfully respond to current challenges, including the impact on the environment. Today, growing concerns about the negative impact that agriculture has on the environment have led to the adoption of agricultural systems aimed at achieving sustainable yields. In this context, Expert System CROM ensures the sustainable development and the conservation of natural resources existing in tree plantations. The following study focuses on some research carried on the management of natural resources, using the CROM Expert System, in the field of apple orchards and lands. Apple orchards and farmlands were graded with additional points starting from 36 to 100 by implementing the Expert System CROM and were classified into three classes: unrestricted, with some restrictions and unsuitable for apple cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate changes and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic most recently have generated an increase interest and support for the topic of agricultural resilience. First of all the European Union Member States have discovered that the current pandemic has generated immense troubles in both the supply chains (that were often over extended and vulnerable) and the supply of the population inside the EU. This only added to the troubles generated already by climate changes (draughts, water shortages, extreme climate variations, etc.) All these acted like a wakeup call for the policy makers and other stakeholders. We have started to realise that we need to build up a resilient agricultural system that can sustain all the citizens involved. This resilience building process is a very complex and requires a lot of transversal actions and a whole-of-society approach. What is it needed? First of all we should innovate and train the farmers. Secondly we should developed the local and national infrastructure needed for agriculture. The use of financial instruments and institutional mechanisms are also needed to support the farmers. All these measure should be taken only after a thorough research process that draws a map of the realities in place, of the upcoming challenges and of the measures needed to solve them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic has had a lasting and damaging effect on all aspects of the human society and economics. One of the most affected area of the economy was the tourist activity. The travel limitations, the lockdowns, the medical dangers have made travel virtually impossible in the first half of 2020 while the second part of the year was a tumultuous one, with a lot of restrictions put into place that have seriously hinder the tour operators and hotels activities. This global and European situation also affected the national tourism in Romania. Although later one in 2020 the European wide restrictions were more relaxed at the national level we often had some restrictions imposed by the local circumstances. All too often the tourists were affected. Even if the great majority of Romanian tourists preferred visiting the country yet this influx was all too often not enough to ensure a real prosperity of the tourist agencies and hotels. This paper analyses the impact of these restrictions on the North-West Region of Romania, by emphasising the local peculiarities and how the pandemic affected a specific region of Romania in the tourist area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the level of the European Union, Spain was the largest peach grower in 2019, with an area of 47.94 thousand ha and a production of 940.50 thousand tons, followed by Italy and Greece. Romania's peach production amounted to 17.19 thousand tons, far behind other states in the eastern part of the EU. Although it had the largest number of peach trees, 296,424, Constanța County was surpassed in terms of production by Bihor County, which obtained in 2019 5,718 tons of peaches. In order to support this sector, the Fruit-Growing Trees Subprogram of the NRDP (PNDR) 2014-2020 made available to fruit growers the non-reimbursable funds for the reconversion and establishment of new fruit plantations. For this purpose, the paper presents some aspects concerning the management of natural and anthropic resources for peach fruit trees, lands and orchards in expert system-CROM. Following the application of the expert System-CROM, the peach plots and the orchards at Research and Development Station for Tree Culture -SCDP Băneasa, Bucharest received 138 points and were included into the class with natural and anthropic restrictions. Recommendations for the improvement of the peach orchards have also been established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The animal welfare is an important topic at EU level with a number of important legislative provisions and funding allocated to it. "It is a subject already on the European agenda for several decades, a topic that has gained more and more importance as the animals have being declared as "sentient beings" with rights. For many years in Romania the question was somehow neglected in favour of other important agricultural topics, yet as the time goes by the welfare of livestock is becoming a topic of importance on the public agenda and on the authorities list of priorities. For that purpose a series of legislative and institutions reforms were adopted as well as we have witnessed the allocation of various financing sources for the beneficiaries. The situation is improving at the national level but the progress is relative depending on the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romania has a great natural potential as regards the development of livestock industry that would permit both the internal market development as well as an active export based industry. One of the most interesting aspects is the one related with the sheep meat industry in Romania which has a seasonal aspect back home and a constant trend worldwide. Having this in mind the sector became a priority of the Romanian Agricultural Ministry starting with 2017. The current paper thus realizes an up-to-date analysis of the worldwide and national situation of the sheep farming while presenting relevant data and actions taken by the national authorities in support of this industry. Romania has an honorable 4th place as a producer country in the European Union and this situation is about to get improve given the measures taken. More over this paper provides an accurate picture of industry status per each region of Romania providing both a grass root approach as well as a European perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper was carried out radiography of the rice market in Romania, during 2007-2015. Romanian culinary tradition has a strong impact on the evolution of the rice market in our country. Rice is an important food for about 50% of the planet's population and its consumption has beneficial effects on the health of the population. In order to highlight the evolution of the rice market in Romania and the changes that have taken place on this market, a series of relevant indicators have been used, such as: rice areas cultivated at national and macro-regional level; Total rice production at national and macro-regional level; Average rice production at national and macroregional level; Rice prices; Consumption of rice at national level; Imports and exports of rice. During the analyzed period there was a positive evolution of this market because, on the one hand, we are witnessing an increase of rice surfaces and production, and on the other hand, we have identified changes in the consumption behavior of rice. Consumers in our country are aware of the rice-specific nutritional properties and have begun to use a range of varieties of this product. Rice consumption in Romania is about 4 kg rice / year /per capita. The statistical data used in the paper was provided by the National Institute of Statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hotel services are very important in the hospitality industry, being one of the major factors that make the tourist choose an accommodation unit or another. Knowing these types of services with specialty sites offers the possibility of choosing an accommodation unit that meets the needs of tourists from the moment of booking the rooms, which is why it is very important that the presentation of the services is done in their entirety, the omission of their presentation can lead to a decrease number of tourists. Taking into account these aspects, the study shows the accommodation units and their services, accommodation units classified whit 4 stars in Oradea, Bihor county. Thus, additional services and their frequency were analyzed for eight accommodation units as they are presented online on the most important reservation site used in the country. With regard to the additional services analyzed, it has been found that hotels offer a wide range, which shows that they are trying to cope with the competition on the market, in order to meet the needs of even the most demanding tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]