Agriculture/horticulture has traditionally been an important sector in the economy of Bulgaria.
This paper reviews the changes in agriculture/horticulture in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria
after 1989 when the transition towards a free market economy began. In particular, it provides a
review of the internal capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) of the horticultural farms and the
impact upon them of the external environment (opportunities and threats). While many farmers
regarded their experience as a strength, farmers having farms of different size identified
additional different strengths, and different weaknesses and opportunities. Whereas, all of them
were influenced by similar threats and the relative importance of these perceived threats did not
varied depending upon the size of the farm.