Changes in the agrarian configuration of the socialist Republic of Romania

In Romania, agriculture has developed concomitently with the increased industrialization, and today agriculture plays a main role as the third world producer of sun-flower and hemp, the eighth of maize, the ninth of vine, etc. As Romania is geographically situated in the same zone as the big granaries of the world in the northern hemisphere and as it has a favourable climate it records one crop on 4/5 of the arable land, two crops a year on 1/5 and experimentally, three successive crops in the south of Oltenia. Similarly, the relief favours the development of agriculture under optimum conditions of mechanization on 70% of the territory. Agriculture has existed in Romania for about 6 millenia. Following the socialist transformation and modernization of agriculture—production /ha was increased two or three times and the crops rotation changed by introducing, beside cereals, a larger acreage of industrial crops, forage, vegetables, etc. The agricultural scene has been changed by substantial works of land improvement, especially dams, irrigation systems and a better land utilization. Industry, which takes over the added raw material provided by agriculture, has turned out agricultural machines and tools, chemical fertilizers, etc., required by agriculture. Finally, the authors give an agro-geographical characterization of the main natural units—the plains, the hills and plateaus, the mountain region and the Danube Delta.