Râu Sadului, Romania

Regional Demonstrators

Cristian and Raul Sadului are in Sibiu County, encompassing a portion of the Cindrel Mountains. This mountain range is a sub-group situated in the Southern Carpathians, centrally positioned in Romania. 

Climate change appears with force in the mountainous region, producing an increase in average temperatures, a decrease in precipitation, and the alteration of seasons. These changes negatively influence soil troficity level, and the composition of grass varieties. Valuable species are disappearing, and some low-quality plants are thriving.  Animals are therefore fed with grass with low nutritional value. This requires urgent actions, as climate change forces farmers to migrate to submontane areas, and the mountainous areas are at risk of becoming depopulated. It will lead to the loss of tradition and people’s identity, and at the same time, it will decrease the quality of food products.  

One of the national strategic objectives in agriculture is the promotion of knowledge transfer to the farmers regarding aspects of climate change, and adequate management of agricultural land to adapt to the challenges. MountResilience aims to create sustainable solutions to address the impact of climate change on farmers by preserving and utilising mountain meadows. The project involves showcasing innovative techniques, such as employing equipped drones and cameras for field scanning. Special seeding machines will be utilised for flat terrains or gentle slopes, while drones with a seed spreading system will be deployed for meadows with irregular terrain and steep slopes. Additionally, MountResilience plans to enhance efficiency by using drones for fertiliser spreading.

What has been done so far?

Starting in 2024, the Romanian partners initiated fieldwork in a 20-hectare area across Păltiniș and Cristian to validate mountain meadow revitalisation solutions in a real environment:

• Drones are used for scanning, seeding, and fertilisation activities, especially on uneven or steep terrains.

• Trial plots in Cristian-Păltiniș were seeded with various commercial seed mixtures.

• Soil amendments, fertilisers, and bacterial mixtures are being applied to combat acidity and nutrient deficiency.

• A Local Consultative Council was formed to foster participatory decision-making involving civil society, academia, local authorities, and business representatives.

• These efforts aim to restore the pastures’ productivity and ecological balance while improving the socio-economic resilience of the region. 

Contact

Ștefan Căliman, Project Manager, ROHEALTH – The Health and Bioeconomy Cluster, projects@rohealth.ro

Eng. Claudiu Șerban, Institute for R&D in Montanology Cristian-Sibiu, icdmcristian@gmail.com