EVOLUTIONS AND TRENDS IN AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES

A sustainable development requirement consists in the conservation and enhancement of agricultural resources, monitoring the economic development impact upon the environment, in order to ensure the support for future generations. The essential role in agricultural production is played by the rational use of natural resources. In this context, one of the most important challenges in ensuring food security for the population is represented by the increase of food production under the back- ground of soil degradation. The evaluation of the conceptual framework of natural capital protection reveals the acceleration of soil degradation, this becoming an extremely pressing cross-border problem. At European level, Romania is one of the countries with a generous endowment in natural agricultural resources. In spite of this, our country is confronted with specific problems, i.e. a defective management of land resources, resulting in an accelerated soil degradation rate. The indicators regarding soil degradation and agricultural land quality classes can contribute to the explanation of low land productivity, together with other factors. The land use modality reveals that there is always a compromise between different social, economic and environmental needs (e.g. dwellings, transport infrastructure, energy production, agriculture, nature protection). The current trends in land occupation have a non-sustainable character, representing one of the important causes of soil degradation.