7Economics of Agriculture SI - 1 UDK: 005.591.46:631(498)
AGRICULTURAL DECENTRALIZATION IN ROMANIA -ROMANIA'S AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF CHAMBERS1
Bogdan BAZGA2 Abstract
In this article are theoretical and real explanations on Romanian agriculture decentralization process and the importance of creating and organized of the Agriculture Chamber. The need to be more presents in all the Romanian regions in order to develop the agriculture consultancy and all the factors that influence them. It also shows the status of national consultancy level, illustrated by a series of specific indicators and trends of their evolution. Finally, make some assessments about the prospects for Agriculture Chamber in our country.
Keywords: decentralization, Agricultural Chamber, Common Agricultural Policy, agriculture consultancy, agriculture potential.
INTRODUCTION Description of current situation in Romania
Review common European agricultural policy, requires simplification and modernization of policies and procedures in terms of community outcomes "healthcheck", which are currently being conducted. In this context, Romania aims to identify and promote win-win solutions for Romanian agriculture, enabling the achievement of European integration.
At European level, promoting the interests of Romanian institutionalized framework involves organizing and representing and promoting socio-economic interests of farmers, whose activities are in the fields of agriculture and food production, rural development, fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, land reclamation, scientific research
1 This work was co-financed from the European Social Fund through Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007-2013; project number POSDRU/107/1.5/S/77213 „Ph.D. for a career in interdisciplinary economic research at the European standards"
2 Bogdan BAZGA, PhD.Student, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, Str. Piata Romanä nr. 6, Bucuresti, Romania
specialist, plant protection and soil conservation farm optimization. Supporting a Common Agricultural Policy that can provide farmers and long-term perspective and resources needed to reduce the gap to the other Member States and to solve the structural problems facing Romanian agriculture (high fragmentation of plots, weak equipment and outdated technology and technical for most small and medium-sized farms, etc.) can not be done without the legal framework necessary to form a representation of institutional device in agriculture and related workers. Therefore should be promoted at European level a common position, both from authorities and the beneficiaries. Responsible dialogue promotes sustainable agriculture and competitive by exploiting local agricultural potential and strengthen partnership between public authorities and beneficiaries throughout the country legitimized representation.
In recent years, the reality of agriculture reveals that there are many social needs that consisted of the rural population need to be represented in relations with third parties, people with the same objective, democratically elected under rules territorial and demographic providing representation and the need for access to information, agricultural advice and quality services in training. Improved quality of life in rural areas is intrinsically linked to the rate of absorption of European funds that Romania has access and community revitalization.
In agriculture, the strategy of decentralization requires the establishment of a national network of autonomous structures that promote the public interest by going local general and specific regional integration in the development of sectoral policies. Thus, administrative decentralization, the establishment of Agricultural Chambers is a close process to the farmers, a form through which it can be achieved business counseling to local farmers.
Currently, the institutional construction of agricultural administration does not give farmers the opportunity to actively participate in making decisions on strategies and agricultural development programs. National Agency for Agricultural Consulting (ANCA) is the only institution that supports to some extent farmers in their efforts to positively influence the development of rural economy. But as a public institution advisory network has limited powers and resources imposed by the civil service and budgetary constraints. Compared with the situation in other EU Member States to meet the needs of beneficiaries, agricultural consulting staff is much undersized, and network development prospects are reduced through fiscal discipline and limit expenditure. Therefore, ANCA has been the subject of the decentralization strategy of agricultural administration and will ensure, in the initial phase of institution building, financial resources, material and human Agricultural Chambers.
Associative forms, regardless of their status, are not yet sufficiently functional or active only in the interests of small groups of farmers, not sufficiently well organized to develop and implement projects for the benefit of larger groups of farmers or local community. A major problem faced by most forms of association, regardless of the level of representation (local or national) is funding, their members are not interested to support their own associations. This situation discourages and weakens people's
confidence in the possibility of achieving public interest projects. The authorities have leverage to encourage the establishment and operation of farmer associations and organizations. In this context, the discrepancy between the general economic interests and the organization becomes more evident.
1. Agricultural Chambers appearance in Romania - expected changes in
Consulting
Establishment of Agricultural Chambers stake is the creation of a legal framework for representation of all persons engaged in agricultural activities in the sense of involving farmers in making decisions that affect them through those willing to promote the public interest based on territorial representation.
Designed as an organization of the rural population, emanating from among those directly involved in specific activities of agriculture and related sectors, knowledge of reality in communities, its role, functions and mode of establishment of the Chamber of Agriculture should be promoted among all partners dialogue of MAPDR. Thus, within the Agricultural Chambers, MAPDR creates the institutional framework for dialogue and consultation with representation at national level, through which farmers can be responsible and accountable for the development of sustainable agriculture, quality of life and active participation in the development and implementation of agricultural policies at local, national and European level.
In a first step, creating County Agricultural Chambers will result in the creation of new jobs, both at county and at community level.
However, Agricultural Chambers will provide technology transfer of applied research in modern production, becoming a promoter of new technologies. Institutional construction of Agricultural Chambers will mean the establishment in each county of Agricultural Chambers to hold elections following administrative territorial unit level. At national level will be established, all the criteria of representativeness, the National Agricultural Chamber in Romania. Agricultural Chambers will become autonomous, ensuring their network at national level, the necessary training, information and public services for all people engaged in specific agricultural activities and assimilated. Establishment of Agricultural Chambers was asked repeatedly whether the beneficiaries of agricultural policies, the positive association of farmers within a public organization is reported and representatives of other EU Member States.
Socio-economic impact3
Macroeconomic impact
The main goal in creating these public organizations is to promote socio-economic interests of the rural population, engaged in specific agricultural activities and assimilated.
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Along with efforts to transform agriculture MAPDR in a competitive sector, Agricultural Chambers can be accountable and involved in the promotion of domestic and foreign Romanian agriculture.
Impact on business
Agricultural Chambers County and National Agricultural Chamber in Romania will develop proposals of tax regulations on agricultural activities, as well as regulations on the pricing methodology, the procedures for marketing of agricultural products and / or processed. County Agricultural Chambers will provide assistance to farm accounting upon request, will advise and will provide technical assistance for those representing the completion of payment applications and preparing documentation on accessing European funds, financial support and other national aid or European. However, through the Agricultural Chambers County farmers and farm representatives will be supported in the management of farm production in the marketing organization and the establishment and consolidation of associative forms, routes of product and local market organization, aiming them the measures to avoid market imbalances.
Together with local and county agricultural Chambers County will promote the organization of local markets for direct marketing of agricultural products by producers. Also, Agricultural Chambers can establish commercial companies, according to the law and the statutes but they can not carry out its candidates.
Technological facilities in various branches of agriculture are not yet required standards, Agricultural Chambers can stimulate investment in technology, can support research and innovation, can ensure the transfer of modern technologies in production of applied research.
Romania's integration into the European Union assures, in addition to access to financial resources needed to develop agriculture and related areas, access to expertise, partnerships, exchange information and experience. In this sense, Chambers County and Chamber of Agriculture National Agricultural in Romania will establish contacts with counterparts in the European space institutions to exchange experience and consistency at Community level the procedures and quality standards, promoting Romanian products and services industry in the country and abroad.
Social impact
The target groups considered are the people who conduct activities in the fields of agriculture and food production, rural development, fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, land reclamation, specialized research, plant protection and soil conservation farm optimization.
County Agricultural Chambers will make proposals for laws or underlying normative acts on the training of farmers and agro-tourism activities.
Thus, they will draw up annual plans for training of farmers in their fields of interest based on requests and forecasts for rural development and will organize training courses to farmers through operational or technical service in collaboration with
training providers. The collaboration with educational institutions for agriculture and forestry and multi-annual plans will lead to harmonization of the school profile and specialized education structure of labor demand in the market, increasing the number ofjobs growth and increased competitiveness of the agricultural and related.
On the other hand, tourism development will increase employment and integration of sustainable employment in the labor market of the unemployed and inactive people.
Agricultural Chambers County farmer certifies quality.
Chambers County and the National Agricultural Chamber of Romania will represent and promote specific interests, and local professional and general interest of the farmers / rural population, and will resolve conflicts amicably, serving as an intermediary and set the framework for discussion between all beneficiaries. These organizations will provide a public guarantee of respecting and protecting the interests of beneficiaries, ensuring their cohesion.
Environmental impact
Chambers County and the National Agricultural Chamber of Romania will provide advisory opinions on issues related to land use and rural management, promote good agricultural practices and animal welfare rules. Thus, they will make proposals for laws or underlying normative acts on good agricultural practices, treatment and improving plant varieties and animal breeds.
Also, there will be ensured presentation and dissemination among farmers of European norms and national agricultural and food production activities, environmental protection, disease control in plants and animals, animal welfare and other regulations related to work on farms. Through the Agricultural Chambers there will be created the necessary institutional framework for promoting the rational use and conservation of the productive potential of agricultural and forest land, water reserves, biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.
CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS
Currently, the food security system4, knowledge transfer market and hence the market for technology transfer and innovation to ensure the obtaining of information between producers and consumers, are vectors by which there can be accessed new technologies (consulting agencies, agricultural extension, mass media, education). The process of technology transfer and innovation in agri-food system has as main beneficiaries natural or legal persons engaged in agriculture so that farmers in the industrial system and the traditional system.
4 V. Manole, N.Istudor, B. Bazga, - Food Safety in Romania, The International Conference "Present Issues of Global Economy" - 8th Edition - APRIL 16th-17th, 2011 Constanta 2011, Ovidius University.
The shortcomings of this system are related to poor cooperation and collaboration between actors involved in the transfer of information, as well as the ways of disseminating information to all beneficiaries.
The European model of the transfer of technology and innovation differs from the Romanian one, in terms of the important role of the research centers between producers and consumers of information both rural and urban. These centers, in particular those of rural development is the "true core information where the entries are the results of research, information provided by rural actors, political and legislative information of interest, funding opportunities, etc., and the outputs are responses to the needs of farmers and rural entrepreneurs ".
Universities, public research and development and other public research entities in the EU play a clear role in the knowledge market. Transformation of universities and public research institutes and development in the international knowledge market actors and their increased capacity of cooperation with companies is a goal toward which the Romanian universities aim.
In Romania, the Factivity of agricultural consulting is a particularly important factor for the development, diversification and specialization of agricultural production and to stimulate the transformation of subsistence households in modern commercial farms. Therefore consulting activity should focus increasingly more market in order to offer qualified advice farmers problems in management and organization of the food industry.
In addition to stimulating the initiative of producers to associate and cooperate in agriculture, agricultural advisory work for technology transfer is a vector and a vector of knowledge in food system, essential to the whole rural area, which is addressed in particularly farms that want to develop and can not define and solve problems they are facing.
The large number of subsistence or semi-subsistence farms (3,931,350) that the small number of units with legal personality (17.699) are important issues that face Romania's agri-food system, representing a major obstacle in the development and upgrading. Small consumers, represented by subsistence farms, lack of information and the available funds, do not have too many opportunities to access innovative technologies that can lead too soon to turn them into viable commercial farms.
In this regard, we propose that public research institutions should become more involved in managing the transfer of knowledge / technology because it ensures the generation of socio-economic benefits and to attract research funding.
Another proposal would be to strengthen cooperative structures to collaborate with research centers to optimize the transmission of information, experience and best practices, and cooperation to promote innovation, support those who want to create innovative businesses and to support innovative projects.
I believe that agriculture, food safety and security is for Romania, an area of fundamental research with great potential, and modernization of this sector by introducing and implementing innovative technologies will enhance its performance clearly.
Given the above and the potential we can say that the Romanian agriculture to be the competitive market, food companies must promote technological progress and national food, in order to meet European requirements.
From this work results also the fact that consultancy = transfer of knowledge, is absolutely necessary, both at urban and rural level, whereas the use of innovative technologies is leading to improved working conditions of the beneficiaries (farmers / businesses) but also increased profitability of the activities undertaken.
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