Policy Issues of the Implementation of Sustainable Landuse in Romania, Cosmin Hurjui

8/4/2019 Policy Issues of the Implementation of Sustainable Landuse in Romania, Cosmin Hurjui

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Policy issues of the implementation of sustainable landuse in Romania

Dr. Cosmin Hurjui

Research and Development Center for Soil Erosion ControlPerieni - Barlad, Romania

www.cesperieni.ro

COST 634, 1 st Joint Working Groups Meeting, Bratislava,Friday 8 th October 2004


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Total area:23.75 million ha

(58.7 million acres)

Population:23.5 million people

Agricultural land:

- 14.83 million ha

- 0.65ha / person(agricultural)

- 0.41ha / person(arable land)

Evenly proportioned landscapes :- 36% Carpathian Mountains and Subcarpathians- 34% hills and tablelands- 30% plains

ROMANIA - RESOURCES


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1 - 5

1 - 5

1-5

1

-5

1-5

15-20

15-20

15-20

20-30

20-30

20-30

30-45

10-15

10-15

10-15

10-15

10-15

10-15

5 - 10

5-10

5 -1 0

0

0 Barlad

Suceava

Iasi

Galati

Constanta

Ploiesti

Brasov

Cluj - Napoca

Baia Mare

Targu Mures

Sibiu

Craiova

Timisoara

Arad

Deva

Oradea

Bucuresti

B L A

C K S E A

U K R A I N E

M O L D

A V I A

B U L G A R I A

Y U G O S L A V I A

H U

N G

A R Y

U K R A I N E

B L A C K

S E A

- Annual total erosion 126 million tons of which 106.6 million tonsdelivered by agricultural lands

- The peak erosion rate (30 45 tons/ha/year) in the curvature of Sub Carpathians- Then follows Moldavian Tableland, Southern Sub Carpathians, Getic and

Transylvanian Tablelands

Total area: 23.75 million ha(58.7 million acres)

- 14.83 million ha ofagricultural land

- 6.37 million ha (43%)sloping land witherosion potential

- 9.3 million ha usedas arable land

Total erosion on agricultural lands in Romania tons/ha/year(After M. Mooc)


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LLaa nn dd -- uu ss ee ss tt rr aa tt iiffiicc aa tt iioo nn iinn RRoo mm aa nn iiaa SS uu rrffaa cc ee LLaa nn dd --uu ss ee

mm iilllliioo nn ss hh aa %% AArraa bb llee ((CCrroo pp llaa nn dd )) 99 ..883333 4411 ..44 PP aa ss ttuu rree ss 44 ..446677 1188 ..88 VViinn ee yyaa rrdd ss 00 ..330066 11 ..33 OO rrcc hh aa rrdd ss 00 ..335577 11 ..55 AAgg rr iicc uu llttuu rraa ll ttoo ttaa ll 1144..996633 6633..00 FFoo rree ss tt rryy vvee gg ee ttaa tt iioo nn 66 ..556688 2277 ..77 WWaa tt ee rr aa nn dd mm aa rrss hh

00 ..779966 33 ..33 RRoo aa dd ss aa nn dd rraa iillrroo aa dd ss 00 ..337755 11 ..66 YYaa rrdd ss ,, cc oo nn ss tt rruu cc tt iioo nn ss 00 ..665555 22 ..88 UUnn pp rroo dd uu cc tt iivvee ((AAbb aa nn dd oo nn ee dd )) 00 ..339933 11 ..66

NNoo nn aa gg rr iicc uu lltt uu rraa ll tt oo tt aa ll

88 ..778877 3377 ..00 GGee nn ee rraa ll ttoo ttaa ll 2233..775500 110000..00


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Since the 50s and until the end of the 80s, the so called Green Revolution was based on four factors of spectacular development:

Generalization of intensive agriculture, with modern technical means and high productivity Maximum extension of irrigation Intensive use of chemicals in agriculture Genetics, occurrence of high potential hybrids

All these four factors became limiting factors after 1989:

Intensive agriculture triggered the acceleration of erosional processes Irrigation systems have been destroyed and no longer have

water resources Application of chemicals is questionable by the increasing demand of ecological products In what concerns genetics, the great discoveries expected, just did not come up, like they used to, during the 50s and the 60s

Iliescu I. (2002)


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Conservation measures on the agriculturalfields in Romania:

- Contour stripcropping, buffer stripcropping,agroterracing on cropland, bench terraces onhigher slopes, wine and fruit plantationterraces, gully control structures, perennialgrasses in the crop rotation system, grassedwaterways, winding (serpentine) or contour technological earthen roads.

Total area under conservation practices: 2035 ha

The Perieni Research Station concept of sustainable use of sloping land was extendedon a large scale during the 80s the completionof 35 demonstrative erosion control perimeterswith a total area of 62,400 ha located on most of

the Romanian countiesConcomitantly, the same approach has beenadopted on large areas, so that at the end of 1989, 2.2 million ha of agricultural land haveundergone conservation works and practices.


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DEMONSTRATIVE EROSION CONTROL PERIMETERS IN ROMANIA


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Law 18 / 1991 - reallotment of the original landowners

Art. 13 The effective assignment of terrains within the hilly areas should be done as a rule on the original (old) locations

reallotment should be done to successors right up to the fourth degree

Consequences:

48 million individual plots on an area of 9 million ha (60% of the total agricultural land) 4.2 million agricultural units (exploitations, farms)

- average of 2.2 ha each - containing 5-16 small parcels sometimes sparsely distributed

71% have 3-5 ha/family

11% have more than 5 ha/family - 45% properties smaller than 1 ha - 24% between 1-2 ha - 31% are bigger than 2 ha (Gavrilescu & Giurca, 2000)

Consequences:increased fragmentation rate of terrains 47% of the new landowners living in the cities, who never had any connection with agriculture

When application of Law 18 / 1991 will be completed, the State domains will contain between 600,000 and 700,000 ha(1/3 of the land in the former State Agricultural Enterprises)


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Government Emergency Ordinance (GEO) nr. 108/2001Law 166/2002 of agricultural units (exploitations, farms)Technical Norms (standards) from May15, 2002

establishes the minimal dimensions of agricultural unitsencourages landowners to merge their properties

Vegetal sector

a. cereals, technical and medicinal plants:- plains area......110 ha- hilly areas..50 ha

b. natural cultivated pastures and foragecrops in the mountain area....25 ha

c. vegetables.2 had. fruit- growing plantations......5 hae. strawberry plantations and

fruit- growing shrubs..1 haf. noble vineyards and hop plantations 5 hag. green houses....0.5 hah. mushrooms.. 0.2 ha

Animal sector

a. cows.....15 headsb. bulls breeding....50c. sheep or goats.300

d. racing horses.....15e. horse breeding...50f. pigs.....100g. other animal species..100h. poultry.2,000I. meat poultry...5,000

j. incubators..200,000k. other species of birds.1,000l. bees keeping...50 familiesm. ostriches.15n. rabbits.500o. fur animals.100

The Law 166/2002 also includes references to other legal documents which regulate in detail each of the agriculturalsectors involved, or give subsidies to certain producers, such as: Law 72/2002 animal breeding production,Law 244/2002 - vineyards

and wine, Law 348/2003 - fruit-growing plantations (orchards),Law 312/2003 - production and valuation of field vegetables,Law 469/2003 vegetables, flowers and green houses, Law 150/2003 agricultural credit, GD (Government decision) 74/2003

- subsidies for agricultural producers, GUO 72/2003

a special bonus for producers cultivating up to 5 ha, GD 1593/2003

subsidiesfor animal production, GD 1594/2003 - subsidies for vegetables production, GO 174/2004 recognition of groups of horticultural producers.


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1) The official way, Law 166/2002 - constraining or encouraging the small propertyland owners to merge their land properties, following the former German DemocraticRepublic example after reunification, with agricultural units (farms) of 60-80 ha in averageand, hopefully, greater than 200 or 1000 ha (Iliescu I., 2002).

2) Agriculture is not only a branch of production but, in the same time, it is a way of life. The Europeanoverall tendency of medium size familial type units must be taken into account, to achieve the goalof having 200-500 ha merged exploitations in the hilly (tableland) areas and over 1000 ha on plains(Davidescu D., 2002).

3) Paun Ion Otiman:- the official way is anachronistic, unrealistic and bringer of negative consequences to the rural

Romanian life:- out-dated because within the EU subsidies are not given according tothe exploitation area- unrealistic because the coalescence of agricultural small plots is not supposedto be realized by free market mechanisms, but by forcing the landownersto get associated- the multi-family heterogenous association of landowners would not influencefor good the state of prosperity of individual landowners

- the performant private - family type of exploitation having dimensions similar to thosein the EU (under 20 ha with a maximum of 60-70 ha)

Discussion during the national debateThe rational use and Romanian soils preservationat the Romanian Academy, 2002

Perieni Research Station tip:ALL MENTIONED TRENDS ARE GOOD AS LOG AS THEY ARE MEANT TO CREATE

THE BACKGROUND FOR APPLICATION OF CONSERVATION CONCEPTS


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Erosion, torrents and landslidesProlonged and repeated droughts which result in reductionof vegetative coverDecrease of humus content and destruction of soil structureDegradation of inner biological activity in soilsUnattended disposal of industrial waste materialsSoil pollution by heavy metalsPetrol pollution in the neighborhood of extraction areasDegradation by surface (open-air) miningThe decrease of pH by acid rains and inadequate use of chemical fertilizers

Secondary salinization by inadequate use of irrigation

Motoc M. (2002)

Degradation processes of national interestand their hierarchy depending on extent

and damage done


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Motoc M., et al. (1992)

Rational treatment and use ofland subject to erosion

SectionSocial economical

requirements andrestrictions

SectionTerritorial units and

treatment objects

SectionTypes of processes

- Maximum physicalproduction- Minimum cost price- Reclaiming ofunproductive fields- Minimum consumptionof materials- Peak work productivity- Protection of social -economical objectives- Demographic impact- Environment protection

Zone Hillsideprocesses

Region Streambedprocesses Process of soilfertilitymodification

Smallwatershed

Productionunit

Sedimentationand pollutionprocesses of

reservoirs

- Hydrological elementary unit

of treatment and operation- Treatment objects Decisions andoptimizings

Single events Long-term


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Forestation of soils degraded by erosion and pollution by heavy metalswithin vulnerable areasAmelioration of natural pasturesRevaluation of abandoned landRehabilitation of reclamation works on gullies and torrentsConservation land management within the new agricultural units (farms)resulted from privatization of associations and state agricultural enterprisesThe increase (improvement) of organic matter content in soils by meansof ameliorative vegetation or organic fertilizersConservation systems of tillages (minimum or no-tillage which in Romaniaare only applied on experimental fieldsEstablishment of soil protection associationsElaboration of drafts (handbooks) for the average people

National Priorities of Conservation and Melioration of Soil in Romania

Motoc M. (2002)

Coalescence (land consolidation, remembrement , kommassierung ,flurbereinigung ) of small land properties for sustainable land use


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A view of Gheltag II watershed in 1991

Gheltag watershed before 1989 and now


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Bird-eye view of Gheltag I watershed


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Thank You!

Policy Issues of the Implementation of Sustainable Landuse in Romania, Cosmin Hurjui

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