Romanian Mountain Forum

Vatra Dornei, Rumanía

An Overview Of Our Solution

The main agricultural food resource in mountain areas, as is the case of the Romanian Carpathians, is found in the correlation between the quality of the natural polyflora of pastures and meadows; the ruminants - sheep/goats, cattle, the organic fertilizers and the human factor - the “mountain type” farmer. The qualitative high value biodiversity of the pastures is the fruit of centuries of efforts by livestock farmers, persevering annually, for survival, in the context of lacking another alternative. The expansion of modern methods of agriculture toward the mountain - chemical processing, intensive systems, the industrialization of raising livestock, cause economic catastrophes - threatening the irreversible disappearance of large food resources - for many millions of people.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Sin fines de lucro/No Gubernamental

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Grasslands

Population impacted

approx. 2,1 mil., in farmer families.

Size of agricultural area

~2,9 mil. ha. (Romanian Carpathians).

Production quantity

meat, milk, wool – ~ 600.000 cattle and 1,9 mil. sheep.

People employed

~800.000 holdings, averaging 4,5 ha.(including forest)/family farm.

Describe your solution

Special programs with fixed “targets” - for: ensuring sewer systems in the old stables, with the construction of pools for collecting purine and manure platforms, to ensure the proper collection and use of organic fertilizers - solid and liquid. Technical means - for extracting and spreading purine and manure - on meadows; a program for building haylofts on meadows, approx. 1 hayloft/ha. (Duration > 50 years). This would yield: hygiene in stables; avoiding charging the blood haemoglobin with toxic gases in favour of oxygen - with positive influence on meat and milk production and the health of animals and farmers; The environment is advantaged: concentrated urine will no longer infiltrate the groundwater (drinkable), but will be finely dispersed mainly on meadows, being absorbed by the grass roots; thus maintaining the biodiversity of the valuable natural floral mosaic and the grass’ hay yields can increase by approx. 30% - with no other expenses and with lasting effects that have been verified in many small and medium mountain farms. Dispersing the manure, in a small layer and scattering it in the “snowmelt” ensures both good yields of grass and the preservation of the valuable biodiversity of mountain polyflora. With clean water, clean air, extensive systems of raising and exploiting animals – we will obtain “mountain products” of a high qualitative value – with an important economic source for mountain family farms, fighting poverty

Describe your implementation

The implementation of the things described requires measures - as urgent as possible, via on the mark special support programs for: manure platforms, purine collector pools, haylofts - in meadows - corrections inside the old stables. Economic calculations show that for a stable of 10-15 cattle, the aforementioned improvements may be implemented with an investment of 8-15000 euros, depending on the size of the holding. Diminishing the phenomenon of agricultural abandonment by rural youth needs interventions that are motivating enough - partly through compensatory grants. The chance of high quality “mountain products” - is a realistic solution for the superior capitalization of “food products” (added value), for the benefit of families of producers. Achieving this objective involves a specific organization in a cooperative system (gr. I and II), starting by creating mountain development “pilot areas” for some territories with traditions and then multiplying them, in solutions with certain differences (geo-climatic, economic, mentalities, etc.). Important: it is necessary to adapt secondary education from the rural mountain area to the realities of production, environment and life in the mountains, and to create mountain agricultural vocational schools - for wider areas. Cumulatively, we reach the need for the implementation of Regulation 1151/2012 (EU) and 665/2014 (EC), with the need, in emerging countries, to ensure the application of distinctive “Thematic sub-programs for the mountain area”, in agriculture ministries, through which to permanently avoid continuing the marginalization of mountain farming (we must take into consideration the European Parliament Resolution on mountain areas (May 2016), which asks imperatively that the European Council and Commission create a distinct “mountain policy”, an implementation Agenda. The UN General Assembly Report/November 2016 – on “Sustainable mountain development”).

External connections

Romanian Mountain Forum – member of the M.P., has 8 county branches in 2017 (Neamț, Bistrița-Năsăud, Alba, Hunedoara, Sibiu, Dâmbovița, Vrancea, Bacău). Works together with key partners: Dorna Mountain Farmers’ Federation, “Romontana” National Association for Rural Mountain Development (MP member) , Centre for Mountain Economy/INCE – Romanian Academy and collaborates with the Mountain Area Agency/Centre of Training and Innovation for Development in the Carpathians – Vatra Dornei – general directorate (MADR), as well as with the Ministries of Agriculture and of Environment, the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences and the Romanian Academy, with county councils and Prefect offices, with mountain UATs, agricultural sciences universities, with associations of livestock breeders. The RMF president was co-opted as Counsellor to the Minister of Agriculture (2015-2016). RMF contributed, decisively, to the creation of institutions and legislation specific to the mountain area, with a significant contribution in correcting errors and improving support measures for mountain agricultural producers. RMF has multiple contacts both with members of Parliament that come from mountain areas and with members of the European Parliament (EP). It organized 12 national conferences dedicated to the “International Day of the Mountain” and sparked the creation of a National Mountain Council

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Over 100,000 cattle stables in the mountain area are traditional, old, with poor hygiene and comfort conditions for animals and humans. The main issues were investigated in 50 stables - in the Vatra Dornei (North) area, finding: large excesses of shelter gases (> 80% ammonia - NH3, other excesses of H2S and CO2) with damaged production and health in animals and farmers. Missing: sewage, solutions for natural ventilation and especially - no manure platforms set up; purine collection ponds are missing entirely, and a great resource of free nitrogen is lost, that can help increase grass production and conserve the valuable biodiversity of natural flora. In addition, concentrated urine leaks under the stables, causing groundwater pollution.

Describe the context in which you are operating

the risk of hay invaded by mold, by perpetuating the system of preserving hay over winter in uncovered stacks, subject to rain and snow - with effects that can become harmful - by generating aflatoxins, with a risk of transmission through milk and even carcinogenic effects.
A sustainable mountain agro-economic development involves as a first measure, the sound, scientific, management of organic fertilizers, the modernization of old stables and projects for new stables of various sizes, but ensuring hygienic conditions.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

See "Co-Benefits"

Language(s)

Romanian

Water

modernized farms, sheepfolds and cattle farms, rural and agritourism guesthouses – have collected springs and laid drinkable water pipes - for humans and animals. Negative: due to the advantages of supplying “green energy”, various “entrepreneurs” collected the water without providing collection spots on large spreads of pasture – for wild and domestic animals (ex.: Cibin Mountains – Sibiu).

Food Security/Nutrition

modernized farms have food security ensured. Most small and even some medium farms are on the lower limit of subsistence. The exclusive focus on productivity and profitability - in the mountains, it is not comparable to the plains/hills areas. The sustainability guarantee is given by the combination of supporting the social, economic, environmental and cultural factors, adapted to the specifics of the mountain. “Good practice” examples – in Romania’s Mountains: The mixed structure of mountai

Economic/Sustainable Development

RMF was involved together with the Dorna Mountain Farmers’ Federation in a project with Switzerland/SAB, to make mountain sheepfolds and cattle farms – “pilot”, program finished very successfully in 2016 – 6 assisted sheepfolds being created, as well as extensions through local initiatives, totalling approx. 20 such objectives – as models that can be multiplied – finalizing it with the creation of the first “mountain products” with local trademarks (sheep cheeses, forest fruits). ● In the North

Climate

In mountain areas, one can notice deviations from the climate periodicity, the intensification of some excessive phenomena (floods, landslides, strong winds – with large forest deforestations). An important cause is the wild uncontrolled deforestation of large areas of coniferous forests - with the involvement of large foreign companies in the EU, through business relations, some fraudulent, with small local companies.

Sustainability

Step I: financing grants for the quickest possible modernization of the stables. This modernization must be accompanied by the introduction – in all forms of education – from and for the mountain area (farmers, specialists) of management know-how – necessary for the good management of organic fertilizers (partially abandoned, “forgotten” in 50 years of communism + 25 years – post 1990).
These modernizations must be accompanied by intensive policies to facilitate the creation of gr. I and II cooperatives, focused on the capitalization of “mountain products”
Step II: Market-based income. Once the capacity for capitalizing the “mountain products” is reached – at prices correlated with high quality and biological value.

Return on investment

These are long-term investments with beneficial effects. The costs are cumulative over 10-20 years and target: a. Modernizations, b. Investments for organizing and setting in motion (through self-management and self-reproduction) of gr. I cooperatives and, later or simultaneously, of gr. II cooperatives Ex.: for a traditional mountain ECO-AREA with approx. 20 UATs, 10.000 small and medium-sized family holdings, the main investments include: ~15.000 euros/farm – for modernizations. ~300.000 euros for the creation of a gr. I cooperative. ~20 mil. euros – for the creation of a gr. II cooperative (processing + capitalization – at one time): dairy products factory; slaughterhouse - charcuterie; plant product factory

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

It is possible, in a nuanced way, in those mountain areas that have traditions in mountain agriculture and livestock raising relatively similar to those from the mountains of Romania. The system described is approachable all over Romania’s mountains and can be “transferred”, fully or “partially”, in South-Eastern Europe (ex.: Bulgaria, Ukraine, Slovakia, Balkan countries, etc.). Comparative studies become necessary beforehand – with complex local analyses – for the traditional micro-areas (eco-areas) which can highlight other “best practices” and local characteristics. In all cases, the start requires the creation of “pilot eco-areas” with an experimental role (research + innovation). The necessary financing for phase one: grants for research and innovation (EC) could be used: studies + projects to create “pilot eco-areas” of sustainable development, made by entities that have the right expertise (ex.: creating a consortium to apply and make the study and the project

Overview