Environmental sustainability of Bulgarian agricultural Farms – assessment, state, factors

Bachev, Hrabrin (2017): Environmental sustainability of Bulgarian agricultural Farms – assessment, state, factors.

Abstract

The issue of assessment of diverse aspects of sustainability of agricultural farms is among the most topical in the last decades. In Bulgaria there are no comprehensive studies on environmental sustainability of farms in general or different types. This article applies a holistic framework for assessing environmental sustainability of Bulgarian farms. Initially the multiprinciple, multictiteria and mulriindicator framework for assessing environmental sustainability of farm in the country is outlined. After that a level of environmental sustainability of Bulgarian farms is evaluated in general and of farms different juridical type, size, production specialization, and ecological and administrative location. Sustainability assessment is based on a first large-scale survey on environmental aspects of sustainability of agricultural farms in the country carried out in 2016. Third, relations between environmental and socio-economic and integral sustainability of Bulgarian farms are specified. Finally, factors for improving environmental and overall sustainability of agricultural farms in the country are identified. Our study has found out that environmental sustainability of Bulgarian farms is at a good level. Nevertheless due to an inferior level of governance and economic sustainability the integral sustainability of Bulgarian farms is lower and the improvement of the latter two is critical for maintaining overall sustainability of Bulgarian farms at current stage of development.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: environmental sustainability, assessment, factors, agricultural farms, Bulgaria
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q0 - General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q0 - General > Q01 - Sustainable Development; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q12 - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q13 - Agricultural Markets and Marketing ; Cooperatives ; Agribusiness; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q15 - Land Ownership and Tenure ; Land Reform ; Land Use ; Irrigation ; Agriculture and Environment; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q16 - R&D ; Agricultural Technology ; Biofuels ; Agricultural Extension Services; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q51 - Valuation of Environmental Effects; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q52 - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs ; Distributional Effects ; Employment Effects; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q53 - Air Pollution ; Water Pollution ; Noise ; Hazardous Waste ; Solid Waste ; Recycling; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q54 - Climate ; Natural Disasters and Their Management ; Global Warming; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services ; Biodiversity Conservation ; Bioeconomics ; Industrial Ecology

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