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In the Romanian Highlands the traditional pasture management system is threatened by several factors:

Low quality of products and lack of know how: Most of the approximately 10,000 Romanian sheepfolds are not conform to DSVSA (Romanian Directorate for Sanitary Veterinary & Food Safety) and EU requirements (good lighting, adequate supply of drinking water, washable walls). At the same time sheepfold masters and shepherds are often not at the height of professional dairy production and marketing. The above mentioned elements lead to the fact, that the vast majority of cheese produced in traditional sheepfolds does not meet the hygiene standards which would allow selling it in the organized market.

 

Lack of personnel and maintenance of pasture: The rural areas are suffering of a high migration rate. The migrated labour forces are missing in the sheep milk production as well as in the pasture maintenance system. The result is an advancing degradation of mountain pastures.

 

Informal structures: Many of the small scale farmers produce on an informal basis out of the fiscal regulations. A modernisation necessary in order to strengthen associations, increasing negotiation power, la-belling, increased attractivity on the credit market, better marketing opportunities would imply a formalization and a change in working style (accountability, billing, taxation).

 

This project searches – in its three years project implementation - to improve the sustainability of livestock based agriculture in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains by means of integrating traditional activities in the modern economic system. The approach to achieve this goal will be implemented in six test areas in the north eastern part of Romania and implies the following steps:

 

• The production factors such as animal nutrition, animal sheltering and the cheese making facilities of the traditional production system are strengthened.
• The market opportunities of traditional products are improved. Through the accurate recording of every step, quality standard of milk, technical chart of production, logistic chart, branding, labeling, packaging, usage of EAN bar-code system, health control and traceability system the products will comply with the legal food and health requirements and qualify for the modern retail. Furthermore, through targeted marketing activities the products will access new markets.
• The competences of producers to diversify and modernize their production are improved. The main means to achieve the objective is through provision of the development of curriculas and provision of training for shepherds and sheepfoldmasters in order to develop their knowledge and skills and getting acquainted with new production facilities (esp. new sheepfolds). In addition members of farmer’s organisations receive training to improve and strengthen their organisation, achieve registration and flatten the way towards formaliza-tion.

 

The partnership includes the Swiss Centre of Mountain Regions (SAB), that is the lead agency in the Swiss-Romanian project, the Romanian lead partner FAMD (Mountain farmers association Dorna) as well as the Romanian NGO’s HEIFER, AGROM-RO and ROMONTANA.