Sustainability of Agricultural Sub-sectors in Bulgaria

23 Pages Posted: 13 May 2019

See all articles by Hrabrin Bachev

Hrabrin Bachev

Institute of Agricultural Economics

Bodjidar Ivanov

Institute of Agricultural Economics

Desislava Toteva

Institute of Agricultural Economics

Date Written: April 15, 2019

Abstract

In Bulgaria, like in most countries, the comprehensive assessments on agrarian sustainability are mostly at sectoral or farm levels while there is practically no in-depth study on sustainability at sub-sector (industry) level. This paper tries to fill the gap and assess the sustainability of different sub-sectors in Bulgarian agriculture. First a holistic hierarchical framework for assessing integral, economic, social and ecological sustainability of Bulgarian agriculture is suggested including 17 principles, 35 criteria, and 46 indicators and reference values. After that, an assessment is made on the overall and aspects sustainability of major crop, livestock and mixed subsectors of Bulgarian agriculture. The assessment is based on first-hand information collected though in-depth interviews with the managers of “typical” farms in analysed industries.

The study has found out that there is a considerable differentiation in the level of integral and aspects sustainability in individual sub-sectors in Bulgaria, with mixed livestock-breeding, mixed crop-growing, and perennial crops sub-sectors having the highest integral sustainability, while pigs, poultry and rabbits; vegetables, flowers and mushrooms, and mixed livestock-crops subsectors the lowest one. There are also substantial variations in the levels of economic, social and ecological sustainability of different agricultural sub-sectors and individual indicators with the highest and lowest values showing (critical) factors enhancing and deterring particular or overall sustainability of evaluated agro-industries. Results on the integral agrarian sustainability level of this study based on the micro sub-sector (farm) data are similar to the previous assessment based on the aggregate sectoral (statistical, etc.) data.

Keywords: sub-sectors, agriculture, sustainability, economic, social, ecological, Bulgaria

JEL Classification: Q12, Q18, Q56, Q57

Suggested Citation

Bachev, Hrabrin and Ivanov, Bodjidar and Toteva, Desislava, Sustainability of Agricultural Sub-sectors in Bulgaria (April 15, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3372149 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3372149

Hrabrin Bachev (Contact Author)

Institute of Agricultural Economics ( email )

125 Tzarigradsko shosee Blvd. Blok 1
Sofia, 1113
Bulgaria

HOME PAGE: http://hrabrin-bachev.my.contact.bg/

Bodjidar Ivanov

Institute of Agricultural Economics ( email )

Sofia

Desislava Toteva

Institute of Agricultural Economics ( email )

125 Tzarigradsko shosee Blvd. Blok 1
Sofia, 1113
Bulgaria

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
39
Abstract Views
448
PlumX Metrics