Achievements and Challenges of Sustainable Agrarian Development in Bulgaria and China

Hrabrin Bachev

Abstract: This paper summarizes the main achievements and most important challenges of agrarian sustainable development in Bulgaria and China at current stage. The study has found out that, in the last several decades in Bulgaria and China took place unprecedented modernization of institutional structure in agriculture as legislation and regulation framework has been innovated along with the extent and modes of public intervention/and support to the sector, the importance and diversity of provide and collective structure of production, marketing, food security, eco-management, etc. Simultaneously in Bulgaria and China and in the individual regions of each country exists a considerable specificity of socio-economic conditions, natural resources, institutional structure, cultural and historical development, efficiency of public governance and multiple challenges. The contemporary agrarian development in both countries is characterized with a number of similar socio-economic and ecological challenges most important of which are: low comparative productivity and competitiveness of a great portion of agricultural production; unequal public support to different type of farms, subsectors of production and regions of the country; increasing discrepancies in income and living standards of population in different regions, sectors of economy and type of economic organizations; insufficient involvement of all interested parties at all levels of decision making, control, sustainability assessment, etc.; aging of population in rural areas and lack if young and qualified labors in farms; existence of large informal sector with uncontrolled products for quality, safety, intellectual property, ecology, etc. and with dominating informal (including illegal) structures; significant adverse impact of agrarian development on agricultural lands, waters, air, biodiversity, etc.; serious risks for food security in the future in accordance with the trends in production and consumption, etc. Having in mind the importance of such comparative studies they have to continue and deepen with the employment of micro economic and other data, in-depth and case studies, etc.

Keywords: Bulgaria; China; eco-management; structure of production; Sustainable Agricultural Development

Date published: 2019-01-16