ALPA Danube4All walk with Drinkable Rivers
This past week ALPA joined Drinkable Rivers for 4 days in a river walk through the Danube Delta. Drinkable Rivers is walking 3 weeks along the Danube river in 3 different regions of Romania. The walk is part of the DANUBE4all project, a European project involving 48 partner organisations from 14 different countries with the aim to restore freshwater ecosystems in the Danube River Basin through the development of a comprehensive, scientifically-based and practically-orientated Restoration Action Plan. The project seeks to address the lack of knowledge, awareness, and participation of local people and business actors in the implementation of freshwater ecosystem restoration. Drinkable Rivers works towards a world with drinkable rivers through inspiring walks, events, research, education, and mobilisation through various action programmes.
The health of land and water are deeply interlinked and the way we use the land directly influences the quality of water systems. Therefore we are very glad to find a partnership in Drinkable Rivers and together look at whole ecosystem dynamics.
The Danube delta is known for it’s biodiversity richness and is often called ‘The Amazone of Europe’. Many bird species are dependent on the area for nesting and migration route purposes. Also many fish and plant species are special to the area and need all the support they can get.
The Danube Delta area is a vast area (516,500 hectares, of which 150,000 hectares are designated as agricultural land) with very fertile soil. This is why large scale agricultural investments are made especially here. While the use of pesticides in the Delta area is illegal and all large scale farmers do get subsidies for not using them, most of them still use them anyways (up to 300 tonnes per year!) and a big part ends up in the fragile ecology of the local water systems.
WWF gave us a tour in the Carasuhat wetland area, a 3000 hectare large nature conservation project where in the passed marshes were drained into monocultures and now, through the work of WWF and local activists, back into flourishing wetlands. This project shows how quickly the natural world can flourish again if we give it a chance.
For ALPA it has been an enriching experience to walk together with Drinkable Rivers through the Delta area, the vast monocultures, to see the interconnectedness of the land and water and how intense the massive monocultures are in this unique and fragile natural space.
We do believe that in areas like the Danube Delta, which is of such major importance to the survival of so many species, nature conservation should have the priority and where farming is performed, it should be exclusively done with agroecological farming practices. The use of land for agriculture should always stay in balance with the carrying capacity of the ecosystems.
The Agricultural Landscape of the Danube Delta
The Danube Delta covers 5,165 square kilometers (516,500 hectares), of which 150,000 hectares are designated as agricultural land.
Small farmers dominate the region, with approximately 70% of agricultural holdings being small family farms. These typically operate on less than 2 hectares each, and there are around 3,000 small farms in the Delta region. However, the depopulation trend is especially pronounced in rural villages of the Danube Delta. In some communities, more than 50% of the population has left over the last 20 years, leading to aging populations and a sharp decline in labor availability for small-scale farming and fishing activities.
Large farming enterprises control about 50,000 hectares, spread across approximately 100 large-scale farming entities. These enterprises usually manage between 200 and 2,000 hectares per farm.
In the last 20 years, land concentration has shifted dramatically, with large farms and agri-businesses now controlling around 60% of the farmland. This equates to roughly 90,000 hectares owned or leased by large enterprises, while small farmers’ landholdings have decreased.
Leasing has become widespread. About 70-80% of the farmland controlled by large farms is leased from small landowners, due to financial pressures forcing small farmers to rent out their land.
Of the 150,000 hectares of agricultural land, about 60,000 hectares are used for cereal crops, primarily maize, wheat, and barley. Another 20,000 hectares are planted with sunflowers, while 2,000 hectares are dedicated to vegetable production.
Approximately 50% of the Danube Delta is protected under the EU’s Natura 2000 program, which restricts large-scale farming operations in these zones. This protection covers around 260,000 hectares of the Delta.
Over the last few decades, traditional low-input farming practices have declined. The number of active small farmers has dropped by 30-40%, particularly in remote areas, due to economic hardship and a lack of investment in traditional methods.
Soil degradation has affected 15-20% of the agricultural land, particularly in areas where intensive monoculture farming is practiced. The soil organic matter content has decreased by up to 30% in heavily farmed areas.
Large-scale farms contribute disproportionately to pesticide runoff. An estimated 200-300 tons of pesticides are applied annually on large farms in the Delta region, with significant runoff into nearby water systems.
Agricultural runoff contributes to elevated nutrient levels in the Delta’s waterways. The concentration of nitrates and phosphates in some areas exceeds EU water quality standards by 20-40%, leading to eutrophication and algae blooms in the aquatic ecosystems.
Industrial farming and habitat conversion have led to significant biodiversity loss. Over 30% of bird species in the Delta have seen population declines, especially those relying on wetland areas that have been converted to farmland. Fish stocks have decreased by 15-20% due to habitat destruction and water pollution.
Fish farming, particularly in areas previously used for traditional agriculture, covers about 5,000 hectares of the Delta. The expansion of aquaculture competes for both land and water resources, leading to conflicts with crop farming, especially in water-scarce years.
Large farms receive the bulk of EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments. In 2021, for example, 90% of CAP funds allocated to the region went to farms larger than 100 hectares, while small farmers, operating less than 10 hectares, received only 10% of total subsidies.
The population of the Danube Delta has been in decline, with some villages losing up to 50% of their population in the last 20 years. The remaining population is estimated to be around 12,000 people, with a significant portion being elderly, which impacts the number of active small-scale farmers.
Organic farming remains a niche sector but is growing, with around 1,000 hectares certified as organic. This land is mostly used for vegetable and small-scale livestock farming, aiming to cater to eco-tourism and local markets.
Historically, land reclamation converted over 100,000 hectares of wetlands into agricultural use. However, recent restoration projects, covering approximately 10,000 hectares, have attempted to reverse some of this damage, returning land to its natural wetland state to support biodiversity.
Climate change is causing more erratic weather patterns, with an estimated 10-15% decrease in agricultural productivity (observed in large-scale farming) over the last decade due to increased droughts and higher temperatures. Rising sea levels and changes in the water table also threaten farmland near the Delta’s coast.
Reports indicate that large corporations, including foreign investors, have acquired up to 40,000 hectares of land in the Danube Delta region. These purchases often focus on the most fertile lands, driving up land prices and displacing smaller farmers.
Efforts to balance farming with conservation have led to government and NGO initiatives that focus on sustainable agriculture. In 2022, over €50 million was allocated to regenerative farming projects in the Delta, though enforcement of environmental standards remains inconsistent.
Bibliography of key sources for the above facts:
1. European Commission – Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Data, Source: European Union, CAP Subsidy Allocation Reports, 2021, URL: https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/key-policies/common-agricultural-policy
2. WWF Romania – Environmental Impact of Agriculture in the Danube Delta, Source: WWF Romania, “Agriculture and Biodiversity in the Danube Delta,” 2018, URL: https://www.wwf.ro/
3. National Institute of Statistics (Romania), Source: National Institute of Statistics (Romania), “Agricultural Holdings and Land Use in the Danube Delta,” 2020, URL: https://insse.ro/cms/en
4. International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Source: ICPDR, “Nutrient Pollution and Water Quality in the Danube River Basin,” 2021, URL: https://www.icpdr.org/main/
5. Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Source: Ministry of Agriculture, “Agricultural Land Use and Farming Trends in the Danube Delta,” 2019, URL: http://www.madr.ro/
6. Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority (ARBDD), Source: ARBDD, “Management Plan for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve,” 2020. URL: https://www.ddbra.ro/
7. EUROSTAT – Agricultural Statistics in Romania, Source: EUROSTAT, “Agriculture and Land Concentration in Romania,” 2021. URL: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
