DETERMINANTS AND DIRECTIONS OF THE TRANSITION FROM TRADITIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: THE BULGARIAN CASE

Abstract

On the basis of a literature review, the directions for transition of agriculture from the productive to the post-productive model are presented. A methodological framework has been developed, including the directions of the transition and the indicators on which it can be assessed. On the basis of this implementation, the passage from quantity to production quality, to the sustainability of agriculture, to new business models based on multifunctionality are assessed. It turns out that the changes in Bulgarian agriculture cannot be assessed unambiguously. The transition to sustainability is accompanied by continued mechanization and digitization of technological processes. There is a simultaneous development of both the productive and the post-productive model of agriculture. Together with the increasing interest in organic production, the implementation of environmentally friendly practices and the implementation of ecosystem services, modernization based on computerization and chemisation continues.

The results are part of scientific project DN 15/8 2017 Sustainable multifunctional rural areas: reconsidering agricultural models and systems with increased demands and limited resources funded by the Bulgarian research fund.