Has Organic Farming Potential for Development? Comparative Study in Romania and Serbia ?

Marko Jelocnik, Raluca Andreea Ion, Marijana Jovanovic, Cristian George Popescu

Institute of Agricultural Economics, 15, Volgina Street, Belgrade, 11060, Serbia.

Abstract

Nowadays, in the EU and worldwide, agriculture and food industry face new trends of developing green alternatives. This agriculture sector emerged as a result of people concerns about health and environment due to the intensification of agriculture technologies, and uses of chemicals, in both agriculture and food processing industry. These problems appeared and acknowledged by the developed countries, among others, are strictly related to environmental pollution and increasing problems of health degradation. The present study investigates the possibilities of developing organic farming in Romania and Serbia. The results show that there is a great application that can ensure its development, considering many factors relating to the way in which resources are exploited. Thus, statistical data about agricultural areas under organic farming, uncultivated areas, use of chemicals, and number of semi-subsistent farms are gathered in both countries and comparative analyzed. This article makes a foray in assessing the resources that countries can rely on in developing strategies based on organic agriculture.

Keywords: organic farming; uncultivated areas; healty food; HDI.