Sustainability of Bulgarian Field Crops Farms in the Context of the European Development Framework
Sustainability of Bulgarian Field Crops Farms in the Context of the European Development Framework

Author(s): Veselin Krustev
Subject(s): Economy, Agriculture
Published by: Институт за икономически изследвания при Българска академия на науките
Summary/Abstract: In the Common Agricultural Policy, which has been implemented for almost two decades, contradictory trends have been observed, both in Bulgaria and in the other Member States, which is especially relevant for small farms, which are mainly located in the so-called "new" Member States, and in a large part of the Mediterranean countries. This study offers a holistic approach to assessing the farm sustainability, based on key indicators suitable for evaluating a relatively large research scale and showing the direction of sustainable development of farms, and on the other hand estimating efficiency of the implemented policies in the sector, which occupies an increasingly significant share of the utilized agricultural area in the European Union. Results of six economic size classes are obtained by both methods to form a Composite Sustainability Index and data is provided by the Farm Accountancy Data Network. The results proof how the majority of Bulgarian farms of various sizes in the field crops sector lag behind the sustainability of the average statistical agricultural production unit at the European Union level, but when it comes to an assessment linked to the scale of production (payment per area), this is not relevant for the enterprises with the largest area.

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