ABSTRACT
Food supply has been a constant source of concern for mankind. In the present context, with food security a priority of European and national policies, an analysis of pig farming in a representative NUTS2 administrative level of Romania that emphasizes the proportion of households raising at least one pig and the main factors influencing farmers to adopt or give up swine breeding could allow a much clearer understanding of this phenomenon that lies at the border between cultural tradition and socio-economic necessity. This study uses mixed methods that complement each another to help reveal this complex phenomenon in the analyzed territory. Cluster analysis shows the concentration of swine breeding and maps its spread in terms of both subsistence and larger farms, and qualitative interviews prove the motivation of farmers to continue in this occupation. As a primary result, the study visualizes the spatial distribution of pig farming in the rural environment of Valcea county, Romania, from a diachronic perspective in the post-communist period. It also reveals areas of differing concentrations of both very small-sized farms, which prioritize meeting their own food needs, and larger farms, which prioritize commercial production to supplement their revenue streams. Both categories, but particularly the latter, are of particular interest in a period in which the socio-economic environment after 1990 - marked by economic restructuring, unemployment, population migration, the economic crisis of 2008-2010, the pandemic of 2020-2021, and the most recent energy crisis - periodically highlights the importance of rural areas in ensuring food security and sufficiency at both the local and regional levels.
ABSTRACT
The pandemic caused an increase in the use of, and demand for digital public services, accelerating the digital transformation, which necessitated rapid development and deployment of various ICT systems. The Authority for the Digitalization of Romania in partnership with Code for Romania developed a number of six digital platforms for better management of the COVID-19 pandemic. They firstly created stirioficiale.ro, a platform that was used by the Romanian government to give Romanian residents trustworthy, up-to-date information about pandemic measures, guidance, and other important information. Following that, another 5 platforms were developed with the help of over 420 volunteers in order for the government to better manage the COVID-19 pandemic, with a total of six platforms forming an ecosystem that would be used by over ten million citizens across the country to access reliable information. The main objective of the article is to observe and interpret the analytics of the official platform datelazi.ro. After a formal request to the Authority for the Digitalization of Romania, the official recorded data was received and analyzed by the authors. The main results of the study show us that the visibility of the platform is low compared to the country's population. However, due to the consistency of users in the fifth wave of the pandemic, it is reasonable to assume that there is a core use of roughly 10,000 residents who find this platform beneficial for information at this time.
ABSTRACT
The EU's energy and climate change concerns have materialized in the last years in launching 2020-2030 strategic initiatives. The Plan Up project seeks to monitor this area. Each EU member must implement its own plan (NECP) structured on 5 main dimensions: energy security, decarbonization, energy efficiency, internal energy market, research-innovation-competitiveness. Romania is committed to reducing CO2 emissions by over 43%, to increasing energy efficiency by over 37% and to promote renewable energy to reach approx. 28% of the portfolio (97% for the rail transport sector). The impact of COVID-19 must be immediately included in the NECP and seen as an opportunity and the NECP, adapted accordingly. The paper presents this Project and the potential Romanian contribution in the Transport Sector, a sector currently in a massive reorientation (electric cars, encouraging public transport, anti-Diesel offensive, etc.) and the most severely affected by COVID-19. The vast Romanian experience in the use of dimethyl-ether (DME) as an ecological substitute for diesel is presented, which would dramatically reduce the need for investments in the conversion of the current fleet of diesel vehicles. DME is also as a C3-C4 fraction substitute (CFC), in sprays, refrigerant agent in refrigerators, etc. Examples of applications of the proposed solution are given (USA, Scandinavia). The advantages of DME would be that it can be synthesized from renewable sources (municipal, agricultural waste), thus adding value to waste and improving the energy resources balance of Romania and the EU. The paper also seeks an objective critique of the (not so-)miracle solution of electromobility.