Answered by: Експерт по земеделие

In short: Mostoften, flexible sowing according to moisture, conservation treatments and rootless farming, precise disease forecasting and cooperation are applied.
Southern Dobrudzha is thedriest region of Bulgaria and production is mostly irrigable.
Therefore, good practices are aimed at preserving moisture and moreprudent use of fertilizers and detergents.
Flexible sowing norm.
ET "Agro-Svetlozar Dichevski" (Varna) has switched from fixed to flexible sowing norms according to soil moisture, with drought-resistant varieties.
The result is a morestable drought yield and less seed costs.
Rootless farming and minimal cultivation.
The technology has developed in Bulgaria since 2000, mainly in Dobrudzha: first in small areas, then with the gradual exclusion of ploughing.
Fewer passes in the field.
Bomar Trade combines operations in one pass, which protects the structure and moisture of the soil.
Disease prognosis.
"Agromate" (Yambol) uses a weather station and a disease model to spray at the right moment.
This reduces the use of pesticides by up to 30%.
Cooperation.
Motor 93 Insurance Company (Babuk) shows how sharing equipment gives access to technology without much investment.
The Help Center can connect you to these farms for hands-on experience.
Material: Good Practices 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; Training Module 1 and 2; Report "Innovative Approaches in Agriculture".

In organic production, available soluble nitrogen is limited, and organic fertilisers mineralise slowly depending on soil temperature. So protein is often lower, and yield is lower than conventional, though the gap depends strongly on variety and conditions.

• A legume as preceding crop — lucerne, pea, chickpea or vetch; after pea, wheat protein is higher than after maize.
• Organic fertilisation — farmyard manure or compost (2–3 t/daa) and green manure with vetch and oats.
• A suitable variety — about 95% of varieties used in organic farming were bred for conventional systems. Varieties tested in the region, such as wheat "Rada" and barley "Ahat", are a safe choice.
• A weed-free field — weeds take the nitrogen the grain needs.

Example five-year rotation: lucerne (2 years) → wheat "Rada" → sunflower or chickpea → vetch with oats for green manure.

Material: Training Module 2, section 6.3; Training Module 1, sections 7.3 and 7.5; appendices to Brochure 1.

Yes, three such farms were studied:

• "Agrozem – AV" Ltd (Skalitsa, Yambol region, about 30,000 decares) — zero tillage with precision sowing and irrigation. The reason was increasingly frequent drought and heat; the result is better retention of soil moisture.
• "Agroelit" Ltd (Veselinovo, Yambol region) — no-till with regenerative practices. Crop residues stay as mulch; erosion is practically zero and organic matter builds up.
• Sole trader "Agroelit – Mitov" (Targovishte) — strip-till: only narrow strips in the row zone are tilled, while the inter-rows stay covered with residues. Tillage, sowing and fertilising are done in one pass with GPS guidance. The result is lower fuel, machinery and labour costs and better water-holding capacity.

What the results have in common: less erosion, healthier soil, lower fuel use and greater resilience to drought.

What their experience says about the transition:

1. Change gradually — first minimum tillage and more crop residues.
2. For the first three years, grow well-known crops: wheat – sunflower – barley. Once the soil structure stabilises, add oilseed rape and maize.
3. Expect yield fluctuations and higher weed pressure in the first years.
4. Strip-till is for row crops and light to medium soils, with GPS guidance; it is not suitable for heavy, waterlogged soils (vertisols) or narrow-row cereals.
5. Learn from your neighbours — experienced farms and the No-till Bulgaria association, which organises field demonstrations.

The farms' contacts are in the table at the start of this section. The Help Desk can help you get in touch.

Material: Training Module 1, section 4 "Conservation agriculture"; Report "Innovative approaches in agriculture"; good practices 1, 8 and 10.

Yes. Legumes (pea, chickpea, bean, lentil, vetch, lucerne) fix nitrogen from the air through bacteria on their roots and leave the soil richer for the next crop. Diverse rotations with legumes improve nitrogen use efficiency by 10–20%.

Examples from the good practices:

• "Adil Ispa" Ltd (Yarebitsa, Silistra region) rotates wheat, sunflower and maize with chickpea and pea. The triggers were depleted soil, more expensive mineral fertilisers and unstable yields. The result is natural nitrogen enrichment, less mineral fertiliser for the following crops and a broken cycle of diseases, pests and weeds.
• "Organic Grain" Ltd (Varna) works entirely without synthetic fertilisers — with an extended rotation including legumes and cover crops.

Example rotation: winter wheat – sunflower – pea, with cover crops after harvest. In organic production: lucerne (2 years) – wheat – sunflower or chickpea – vetch with oats for green manure.

Include the legume in your fertilisation plan: after it, reduce nitrogen for the next crop according to the soil analysis.

The farms' contacts are in the table at the start of this section. The Help Desk can help you get in touch.

Material: Training Module 1, sections 3 and 7 "Crop rotation and diversification"; good practices 2 and 3; appendices to Brochure 1.

Two of the farms studied cut their costs significantly by reducing the number of passes over the field.

• "Bomar Trade" Ltd (Knezha) uses combined machinery that cultivates, fertilises and sows in one pass, and is moving to minimum tillage. The result: lower fuel, labour and depreciation costs, less compaction, better moisture retention and agronomic deadlines met.
• Sole trader "Agroelit – Mitov" (Targovishte) replaced ploughing with strip-till — only in the row zone, together with sowing and fertilising, with GPS guidance and no overlaps.

Caution: reducing tillage must suit the soil and the preceding crop. On heavy, compacted or waterlogged soils, remove the cause of compaction first. Investments in such machinery can be supported (section A).

The farms' contacts are in the table at the start of this section. The Help Desk can help you get in touch.

Material: Good practices 6, 7 and 10; Report "Analysis of good practices", section 3.4; Training Module 1, sections 1.2 and 4.

Yes, and it is the surest way. The analysis of good practices shows that demonstration farms and farmer-to-farmer exchange have the highest transfer potential — farmers trust what they have seen in a real field.

• ADAPTAGRI project events — seminars, training sessions and visits. Leave your contact and topic of interest with the Help Desk and you will receive an invitation.
• Farms from the good practices — their contacts are in the table at the start of the section; the Help Desk can ask whether the farm agrees to host you.
• Demonstration networks — the NEFERTITI project (Horizon 2020) built a network of demonstration farms in Europe, including Bulgaria. Demonstrations are also organised by the No-till Bulgaria association and the agricultural knowledge and innovation system.

What to ask on site: what problem they started from; how many years it took; what did not work in the first years; what machinery and training were needed; how yields and costs changed.

Material: Report "Analysis of good practices", sections 3.6 and 5; good practice 11; Training Module 1, section 4.4.

You cannot draw that conclusion from the colour alone. First check which index the map shows (e.g. NDVI) and what its legend is. The differences may be related to plant density, development, water, nutrition or another problem.

Use the map to choose where to go and inspect. Check the plants, roots and soil and, if needed, have an analysis done. Turning the map into a fertiliser recommendation requires an additional agronomic assessment.

Source: University of Maryland Extension.

With both options, a field inspection is still necessary.

• Define the problem in advance: gaps in emergence, lodged areas, uneven development or suspected stress.
• Ask for a map with a clear legend, date, field boundaries and coordinates of the spots to check.
• Agree who will interpret the data and whether the service includes an agronomic assessment.
• If the goal is variable-rate fertilisation, check that you will receive a file compatible with your machine.

Material: Good practice 9 ("AgroDron Bulgaria").

Material: Literature review (Goranova), sections 4.1.1 and 4.4; presentations by Prof. Penchev "Climate Change and Agriculture: The Case of Bulgarian Black Sea Basin" and "Crop Breeding, Diversification and Rotation Strategies".

1. Spread the risk: 2–3 varieties with different maturity and a broader crop rotation (section C).
2. Keep the moisture: minimum tillage and a cover of residues (sections B and F).
3. Follow the data: a weather station or regional early warning (section G).
4. Insure your production and keep your documents for possible state aid (section A).
5. Change step by step: one change on one field, measure the result, then expand.

Material: Brochure 1, "Sustainable farmer checklist" (section 16).