IAALD NEWS 
 Central and Eastern Europe
Stabilization and development of human resources in agricultural information system in Romania
Negrea Flavius, Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Kevorchian, Cristian, Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Science
Popa Daniela; Virgil Vlad, Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Bucharest, Romania

Romanian agricultural and human resources

The rural areas of Romania represent 64% and agricultural areas 62%of total territory. Rural population accounts for 48 % of the total. 35% of active people work in agriculture, mostly women, with 35% having an elementary education, and 56% higher education. 6,4 % are illiterate. After December 1989, about 80% of the agricultural land were returned to the former owners, up to 10 ha per family, what created several millions of private farms and tens of millions of smaller plots.

Current access to the INTERNET

Romania has 11,874 Internet pages (Poland, e.g., has 80,433, Czech Republic 54,702, and Bulgaria 6,201). Romania has 13 telephones per 100 inhabitants. The modernization of communication system would require about 135 billion USD by the year 2005. Agricultural Universities in Romania belong to the National Education Network (RoEduNet).

International connections run through a high speed channel(1.5 Mbs). Many companies present WEB agricultural data, but do not generate a subdomain, agr. One example is the site of the company S.C. NEW SYSTEM S.A. (www.newsys.ro) which provides extensive data on Romania's agriculture, and also the home page of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (http://www.newsys.ro/agroweb). The Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry (RISA) has its own website (http:/www.icpa.ro). Some organizations have web pages on foreign servers, such as the Institute for Agricultural Economics. In Romania there are about 50 IPs.

Agricultural studies in Romania There are the following agricultural studies institutions in Romania:

Bucharest (www.bucharest.roedu.net)

University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest - www.usab.ro

"Dunarea de JOS" University of Galati - www.ugal.ro

Univarsity of Targiviste - UUCP:nira.univt-net.ro

University " Ovidius" of Constanta - www.edu.ro/uct.htm

CLUJ (www.cluj.roedu.net)

The "Babes-Bolyai" University of Cluj Napoca - www.ubbcluj.ro

"1 Decembrie 1918" University of Alba-Iulia - www.edu.ro/uab.htm

TIMISOARA (www.timisoara.roedu.net)

West University of Timisoara - www.uvt.ro

IASI (www.iasi.roedu.net)

University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine I.I.de la Brad" of Iasi - www.uniagro-iasi.net

Bacau University - www.edu.ro

CRAIOVA - www.craiova.roedu.net

University of Craiova - www.central.ucv.ro

Current situation of electronic agricultural information services

Processing of agriculture-related technical and scientific information is governed by Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF) in collaboration with the National Commission for Statistics (NCS). Statistical publications are regularly issued.

Based on statistical data the MAF synthesizes the data on information systems in the field of agriculture and food industry, evaluates and quantifies the programs regarding the food farm production, and ensures data for agricultural statistics.

Demands for electronic Agricultural Information System

A AAFS survey shows a demand for the following:

  • Database systems for management activities within agricultural research and development.
  • GIS of soil resources of Romania
  • Agricultural research and production assisted by computer
  • Systems of programs for production activity monitoring
  • System of programs for monitoring irrigation activity.
  • System of programs for technological transfer of innovation
  • Agricultural web databases

Developing of electronic agricultural information services

Romanian's agricultural databases system was started in 1993 with the help of PHARE program. The national network includes 10 General Directions of Agriculture In 1997, after the conclusion of PHARE, the company NEW SYSTEMS SRL was selected by Agricultural Ministry to implement and maintain the system. There are about 430 users: private agricultural companies, state companies, governmental organizations, research institutes ,universities, etc.

Based on a survey of New System SRL there are 44% users from food industry, 23% with mixed activity in agriculture and food industry and 33 % that are active exclusively in agriculture. The system provides information to users via the http.//www.neways.ro.

Another organization which provides market information is the Institute for Agricultural Economics. Its activity started in 1995 with the funds from Economic Research Service from Washington, DC. Market reports refer to commodities such as, wheat, corn, oil seeds, sugar beets, vegetables, and meat . Situation and outlook analysis are based on data from: Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF), National Commission of Statistics (NCS), Economic Research Service (ERS), Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), FAO (FAOSTAT),etc.

WAICENT / AGRIS/CARIS

Romania has been a FAO member from the beginning and has been currently receiving the AGRIS database. The database is extracted by a special program and distributed to 20 research institutes of the AAFS system. Respectively, information provided by Romanian research institutes is translated and sent to Rome for publishing. The utility of the Romanian AGRIS/CARIS Center is effected by the Computing Center of Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry (ICPA) which is a dependency of the Romanian Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (ASAS) (http://www.icpa.ro). Selected data are delivered to end-users on diskettes or via the Internet.