Romania

Romania covers about 238,400 km² in southeastern Europe and features diverse landscapes, including plains, hills and mountain regions shaped by the Carpathian Mountains. The country also includes the fertile Danube Plain and access to the Black Sea. Romania has a temperate continental climate with warm summers and cold winters, creating favourable conditions for agriculture.

Historically, agriculture has played a central role in rural livelihoods. During the socialist period, farming was organised into collective farms. After the political changes of 1989, land reforms redistributed farmland to private owners, leading to a mix of small farms and larger commercial operations.

Today, the primary sector contributes around 4–5% of GDP and remains important for employment. Approximately 60% of the land is used for agriculture. Romania produces crops such as wheat, maize, sunflower and barley. Sunflower production is particularly significant in European markets. Livestock farming includes cattle, pigs and sheep, especially in rural regions.

Forests cover roughly 30% of Romania’s territory, mainly in mountainous areas.

Romania’s rivers and the Danube Delta support freshwater fisheries, while its Black Sea coastline allows for marine fishing.

Overall, Romania’s primary sector reflects its fertile plains and mountainous regions: crop farming in lowlands, livestock in rural areas and forest resources in uplands. Despite growing industrial and service sectors, agriculture and forestry remain important for rural livelihoods and food production.

After it failed in 2007, in 2008 Gerold and Klaudia came via Hungary during the summer holidays to Romania, with our old bus. Since 10 months Romania is a member of the EU (quite heterogeneous the EU). Via Arad, then to Sibiu, today's Subiu (a beautiful city). Further through the South Carpathians, the East Carpathians (beautiful landscape) and the cities Brasov, Galati and some more. We visited the presumed castle of Dracula (castle Bram near Brasov) and his native town Sighisoara. We have been there for a total of 7 days. Beautiful wooden houses, slow streets, still much to repair, nice and diligent people, still a lot of horse work and a rich biodiversity. The agriculture lies between medieval and medieval, very heterogeneous and culturally rooted, but very beautiful. I especially liked the open-air museum ASTA. We made a detour to the Republic of Moldova. Here at the castle Bram in central Romania (actually Walachia and not Transylvania) Dracula is said to have started as a vampire on his bloodsucker tours in the 15th century.
In 2010 we spent 7 days in Bucharest at the 15th CIEC World Conference (Moderation Organic fertilizer session). Very pleasant, comfortable and simple. There we visited the Chauchescu Palace, the 2nd largest building in the world (35 ha base). Very impressive and megalomaniac: it goes down in history. Also the castle of the 1st king Charles the 1st in Sinaia was impressive.