As many as 18 mixed farms in 10 Romanian counties will become model farms nationwide under a grant scheme "Support for environmental investment in model farms with a demonstration role", worth over EUR 3 million, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Forestry (MMAP) informed on Monday, Agerpres informs.
The initiative is part of the RAPID program - "Prevention and Reduction of Pollution in the Rural Area in Romania" financed under a EUR 60 million loan agreement.
"Farmers are our direct partners in the fight to protect the soil and waters. Through these pilot investments, we turn Romanian farms into examples of good practices, capable of showing that productivity and environmental protection go hand in hand. The expansion of the network of model farms means that increasingly more rural communities will benefit from modern, sustainable solutions adjusted for their needs," Environmental Minister Diana Buzoianu is quoted as saying in a press statement released by MMAP.
After evaluation, the selected farms come from the counties of Alba, Bistri?a-Nasaud, Brasov, Covasna, Harghita, Satu Mare, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea and Vrancea, and the total value of the funding exceeds EUR 3 million secured under the EUR 60 million loan agreement concluded between MMAP and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
To cut nitrate and ammonia pollution, farms will invest in: manure removal equipment (scraper ploughs, cleaning robots); slurry spreading tanks with sliding tubes and manure trailers, which reduce ammonia volatilisation; intelligent precision systems, based on video cameras, that deliver liquid nitrogen strictly where it is needed; foliar fertiliser sprayers, which maximise nutrient absorption.
These farms will become model farms and will be included in the Knowledge Transfer Networks, playing an essential role in promoting innovative solutions. They will organise demonstration events, training sessions, presentations and discussion groups, to share their experience and support farmers in local communities.
The 18 farms round up the existing network, which already consists of 15 other farms in the counties of Arad, Buzau, Bistri?a-Nasaud, Covasna, Galati, Harghita, Iasi and Satu-Mare, which signed the funding contracts in September 2025.
The RAPID Romania Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project RAPID is implemented in 2024-2028, and it has two major components: strengthening the institutional capacity of public entities responsible for monitoring and controlling pollution in agriculture; supporting farmers through demonstration schemes and transfer of good practices.
Among the activities targeted in the project are the acquisition of water and soil quality monitoring equipment, developing computer applications for modelling agricultural emissions, public staff training and organising knowledge transfer networks at local and national level.
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