Alexandra Marina Manolache

The dairy sector has an important role in the world food system, with a variety of products consumed by people worldwide. This paper aims to analyze the recent situation of the milk and dairy products sector, from the perspective of milk sources and resources on the dairy products market. Recent data show that in the European Union, the total milk production exceeds 160.8 million tons, of which 96.5% is cow’s milk. Romania has a significant increase in demand for milk and dairy products, driven both by the evolution of the dairy market at European and national level, and by changes in consumer preferences, which are increasingly oriented towards a healthier diet. The research methods used in this paper are structural data analysis, comparative analysis, studying trends based on regression equations and graphical representation of data. The main research questions formulated in the paper refer to the recent breed structure of cattle, sheep, goats, and buffaloes, as sources of milk production, the types of milk-supplying farms, productions of milk and milk products, milk imports and exports. The research showed that households, along with commercial farms, constitute an important source of marketable milk, and that the dairy sector’s resources come from a combination of commercial and non-professional farms. Also, the internal supply is completed by an important offer from imports. Regarding milk prices at the farm gate, it has always been a subject of dissatisfaction for farmers, who have not always covered their production costs. The present paper realizes an overview and provides important data on the recent situation on the milk sector sources and resources, that are currently facing several challenges.

All agricultural sectors are under the influence of environmental factors, which act alongside the flow of activities. In the context of efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change, the purpose of this work is to evaluate the level of endowment of cattle farms with equipment and facilities involved in ensuring an adequate microclimate, in the efficient management and administration of feed and water for animals. This research is based on the processing of data from 83 cattle farms in Romania, of different sizes and located in different landforms, collected through a quantitative survey, through a questionnaire. This paper indicates that the existing level of these types of facilities is insufficient and highlights the importance of investments in equipment necessary to adapt to the effects of climate change, especially for smaller farms, but also for large farms. These types of investment refer to technologies for air cooling, microclimate control, feed management, and automation. This paper highlights the need to increase the technological level in Romanian cattle farms, to adapt to climate change challenges. The promotion of appropriate technologies must be included in an integrated strategy for the equipping and modernization of cattle farms, for an effective diminution of climate risks. This means adopting a systemic approach that includes investments in infrastructure, innovation, and support for farmers.

The family farm represents an important part of the rural environment, both economically, ecologically, and especially socially. In this context, for the revitalization, or resilience of the rural environment, it is necessary to establish the strategic directions for the development of family farms. This study provides an overview of the strategic directions for the development of family farms, as presented in the specialized, mainly scientific literature stored in the international WoS database. Using the VOSviewer software, data extracted from the WoS on the topic of "family farms development strategies" were processed, while adequate maps that correlate the predefined keywords in the study with those identified in the specialized scientific literature, have been additionally created.

Climate changes affect all agricultural production systems, directly or indirectly, including that of ruminant meat, through the limitation of forage resources sensitive to reduced water regimes and drought. The present paper assessed the economic sustainability of ruminant meat production in the context of climate change, with a particular focus on integrating bioeconomy principles through the use of drought-resistant crops such as sorghum and millet in livestock feed. This study included scenarios for two farm-level models, a sheep fattening farm and a cattle fattening farm, to determine the economic benefit and impact of integrating resilient crops in the total feed ration. The findings showed that the dry scenario system could offer economic and environmental advantages over traditional water-intensive crops like maize. The results demonstrated that replacing maize with sorghum or millet could result in a reduction in feed costs and enhanced economic benefit over the traditional feed system.