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Summary
Bulgaria and Romania have experienced radical transformations in their agriculture and rural economies, following transition to a market economy and accession to the EU. However, they remain two EU Member States characterised by a highly fragmented and polarised farm structure. The majority of farms in Bulgaria and Romania are very small in size. However, they continue to provide the main source of income for many rural households. They act as a social safety net and ensure food self‐sufficiency for both themselves and their urban relatives. There are other roles that small and SSFs appear to play in the wider rural economy, e.g. providers of environmental public goods, supplying speciality foods and ensuring the continuation of local and cultural traditions, but so far there is little research to support this argument. Despite the expectation of a gradual disappearance of small and SSFs and/or their market integration following the countries accession to the EU, it is clear that they are here to stay. At least for a while.
This article analyses markets, income and agricultural policy changes in Bulgaria after its accession to the EU. A country AG-MEMOD model, consisting of 18 commodities organised in four sub-models (crops, livestock, milk & dairy and a link between crops and livestock) is applied. The model is an econometric, dynamic, partial-equilibrium and multi-product one. In order to examine the policy environment in Bulgaria, two scenarios are designed: baseline or non-accession (N-Ac) and accession (Ac). The accession scenario should have a very positive effect on the crop sector in Bulgaria, whereas the effect is the opposite on the livestock sector. The most remarkable results come from the milk sector. The effect on income is also positive, despite the pessimistic macroeconomic projections.
This chapter focuses on possible transition pathways towards sustainable agriculture through an understanding of the environmental, social, cultural and economic advantages of 'high nature value farming' (HNVF) and its implications for European regions. The overall objective is to explore how the implementation of various traditional agricultural practices aimed at nature protection and biodiversity conservation in high nature value (HNV) areas (primarily Natura 2000 sites) may lead to regional sustainability of agriculture and rural areas. HNVF is seen not only as an environmental solution but also as having a broader impact on the economic and social sustainability of agriculture and rural development at the regional level. Transition processes have been analysed at the regional level in three European countries, through three case study areas in Bulgaria, France and Portugal.
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