ANALYSIS OF MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND UTILIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN SERBIA AND BULGARIA

Аuthors: SNEŽANA RADUKIĆ, SONJA JOVANOVIĆ*, MARIJA PETROVIĆ-RANĐELOVIĆ

*sonja.jovanovic@eknfak.ni.ac.rs

This research is part of the project 101059994 - UR-DATA - HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-02, funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency can be held responsible for them.

INTRODUCTION

• The use of resources as a factor in agricultural production is a particularly sensitive issue, bearing in mind that we must preserve these resources for future generations as well.
• Optimum use and conservation of resources, on the one hand, as well as the production of sufficient quantities of quality food, on the other hand, are imperative in modern conditions of development.
• The subject of research in this paper is agricultural land, as a condition, but also a factor of agricultural production in Serbia and Bulgaria. The paper aims to point out its basic characteristics, possibilities for better use, and, in particular, limitations for its preservation and use within agricultural activities and for future generations.
• To include the economy of the Republic of Serbia in European integration, it is necessary to implement agricultural policy reforms by harmonizing them with the Common Agricultural Policy, which requires structural adjustments to the European model of agricultural development, which is based on the concept of sustainable development. The current policy and objectives within the land policy of Bulgaria can serve as a good example for directing strategic activities of land management policy in the Republic of Serbia.

Characteristics of agricultural land in Serbia and Bulgaria

• Regarding the economic structure of agriculture in the Republic of Serbia, small commodity production is the most represented (the average area of an agricultural farm is about 4.5 ha of arable land compared to over 20 hectares in the European Union).
• A special problem of agriculture in the Republic of Serbia is the extensiveness of production on fragmented farms.
• Problems with medium-sized farms (from 1 to 5 ha): over 70% are non-specialized,

- all-purpose farms,

- rent little land,

- small number of employees,

- have outdated machinery,

- have little economic strength,

- have little credit borrowing capacity,

- low level of use of irrigation systems,

- have an unfavorable age and educational structure,

- low yields and small marketable surpluses (Pejanović, 2010)

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Characteristics of agricultural land in Serbia and Bulgaria

• In Bulgaria, the tendency is to reduce the number of smaller farms and increase the number of large farms (from 10 to 50ha).
• "The average farm size has significantly increased from 6.2 ha in 2007 to 10.1 ha in 2010 to 15.5 ha in 2013 and reached 20.6 ha in 2016." (European Commission, Final Report: Data and information on agricultural land market regulations across EU MS, 2021)
• The share of small farms (less than 1ha) relative to all farms, from 70.5% in 2010 decreased to 59.3% in 2016.

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• Both Serbia and Bulgaria record a low level of agricultural land irrigation. In Serbia, only 1.48% of agricultural land was irrigated in 2020. In 2016, 1.85% of agricultural irrigated land was recorded in Bulgaria. (World Bank, 2023, Agricultural irrigated land)
• Compared to other countries of the European Union, but also the Western Balkans, this is extremely unfavorable for the future growth of agricultural production.

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Characteristics of agricultural land in Serbia and Bulgaria

• The production of grain (wheat and corn), vegetables, and fruit has a large yield potential in Serbia. According to the achieved results, the production of industrial plants in the Republic of Serbia is at the level of developed European countries and there is not much room for yield growth. On the other hand, there is potential for the growth of areas of industrial crops (oil crops, energy crops), which would significantly contribute to the increase in the value of agricultural production, but also to the much-needed change in its structure.
• As in Serbia, a similar tendency can be observed in Bulgaria through stable cereal production (Table 1). Namely, after a slight decrease in the area under cereal production in 2017 compared to 2016, there is a growing tendency of land under cereal production until 2020. In Bulgaria, there is a tendency for faster growth of land under cereal production compared to Serbia.

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Table 1 Land under cereal production (hectares)

Source: World Bank (2023d)

������Of the total land area in Bulgaria, agricultural land makes up about 46%, while in Serbia 40% (Figure 1). In both countries, there is a slight increase in these areas, namely in Bulgaria from 46.3% in 2016 to 46.5% in 2020, while in Serbia the increase is from 39.5% in 2016 to 40.1% in 2020.�As for arable land, both Serbia and Bulgaria record a similar share of the total land area. In Bulgaria, arable land accounts for 32% of land area, while in Serbia, 29.77% of arable land in total land area (Figure 2). A higher percentage of arable land per person (0.5 ha per person) is recorded in Bulgaria compared to Serbia, where arable land per person is about 0.38 ha.���

Figure 2. Arable land (% of land area)

Source: World Bank (2023c)

Figure 1. Agricultural land (% of land area)

Source: World Bank (2023b)

Characteristics of agricultural land in Serbia and Bulgaria

CONCLUSION

• In the latest Strategy of Common Agricultural Policy, Bulgaria aims to promote the sustainable development of the agricultural sector by supporting viable farm income and enhancing competitiveness. Special attention is also paid to attracting young and small farmers.
• In terms of land management policy, the new strategic plan for Bulgaria, as well as other EU countries, strongly supports greening and guidelines that lead to sustainable development (reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, improving the quality of soil and water, producing energy from renewable resources, supporting low-intensity agricultural practices). These should be recommendations for the future agrarian policy of Serbia, within which green growth, green practice, as well as the use of land in a sustainable way, should be imperative.
• Serbia should follow the reform of Bulgaria, which is reflected in the consolidation of land and the increase of the land category of larger areas, especially those of 10-50 hectares.
• The construction of irrigation systems, as a necessity for stable plant production in modern conditions accompanied by uncertain climate changes, is imperative, both for Serbia and Bulgaria.
• Improving the competitiveness of agricultural production is a common goal that can be achieved through the rational use of resources, the application of standardized technology, the application of modern knowledge in production and processing, the increase of economy in business, with greater respect for economic, energy and environmental criteria.

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ANALYSIS OF MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND UTILIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN SERBIA AND BULGARIA

Аuthors: SNEŽANA RADUKIĆ, SONJA JOVANOVIĆ*, MARIJA PETROVIĆ-RANĐELOVIĆ

*sonja.jovanovic@eknfak.ni.ac.rs

This research is part of the project 101059994 - UR-DATA - HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-02, funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency can be held responsible for them.