This paper suggests a holistic framework for assessment and improvement of management strategies for conservation of natural resources in agriculture. First, it incorporates an interdisciplinary approach (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Ecology, Technology, Behavioural and Political Sciences) and presents a modern framework for assessing environmental management and strategies in agriculture including: specification of specific 'managerial needs' and spectrum of feasible governance modes (institutional environment; private, collective, market, and public modes) of natural resources conservation at different level of decision-making (individual, farm, eco-system, local, regional, national, transnational, and global); specification of critical socio-economic, natural, technological, behavioural etc. factors of managerial choice, and feasible spectrum of (private, collective, public, international) managerial strategies; assessment of efficiency of diverse management strategies in terms of their potential to protect diverse eco-rights and investments, assure socially desirable level of environmental protection and improvement, minimize overall (implementing, third-party, transaction etc.) costs, coordinate and stimulate eco-activities, meet preferences and reconcile conflicts of individuals etc. Second, it presents evolution and assesses the efficiency of diverse management forms and strategies for conservation of natural resources in Bulgarian agriculture during post- communist transformation and EU integration (institutional, market, private, and public), and evaluates the impacts of EU CAP on environmental sustainability of farms of different juridical type, size, specialization and location. Finally, it suggests recommendations for improvement of public policies, strategies and modes of intervention, and private and collective strategies and actions for effective environmental protection. Keywords: environmental management, strategies in agriculture, conservation of natural resources, environmental protection, European Union integration, European Union Common Agricultural Policy JEL Classification: Q12, Q15, Q26, F15
1. Introduction
A significant amount of natural resources (lands, waters, biodiversity, ecosystem services etc.) are part of agricultural systems. Modem agriculture significantly affects the state and sustainable exploitation of natural resources being a major factor for environmental degradation (pollution, destruction, extortion) as well an important contributor for conservation and improvement of natural resources. Therefore, the issues associated with the effective governance and strategies for sustainable exploitation and conservation of natural resources in agriculture are among the most topical in public, political, business and academic debates around the globe (Baba et al. 2011; COST 2009; Dobbs and Pretty 2008; Ducos and Dupraz 2006; Defrancesco et al 2008; EC 2005; Farmer 2007; Hagedorn 2002; Hart and Latacz-Lohmann 2004; McCanna et al. 2005; Peeriingsa and Polman 2009; Reed 2008; Scozzari and Mansouri 2011; UN 2012).
Despite its importance, the research on governance mechanisms and strategies for natural resources conservation in agriculture is at the beginning stage due to the 'newness' of the problem, and the emerging new challenges and risks in recent years (inter-sectors competition for natural resources, global climate change, depletion of non-renewable environmental resources etc.), and the fundamental development of economic theory in the last two and a half decades, and the 'lack' of long-term experiences and relevant data for the process and efficiency etc.
Most studies are focused on the specific aspects of natural resource management and strategies (soils, waters, biodiversity, agro-ecosystems services) without studying their relations, complementarities and contradictions. What is more, they are typically restricted to a certain form of governance (eco-product, ecocontract, eco- cooperative, industry eco-initiative, public eco-program), or specific type of farm (family, agri-firm, cooperative), or management level (farm, ecosystem, national), or a particular location (region, ecosystem). Usually they are focused on pure and formal management forms, mechanisms and strategies, while various (and often more efficient) informal and complex forms (integral, interlinked, multilateral, multilevel) are ignored.
Besides, uni-sectorial analyses are broadly used which separate the governance of farming from the management of overall households and rural activities. Moreover, 'normative' (to some 'ideal model' or 'model in another country') rather than a comparative institutional approach between feasible alternatives in the specific socio-economic and natural environment of a certain farm, region, sector, or country is employed. Likewise, the significant social costs associated with the governance, known as transaction costs, are not (or only partially) taken into consideration.
Furthermore, uni-disciplinary approaches dominate, and efforts of researchers in economics, organization, law, sociology, agronomy, ecology, technology, and behavioural and political sciences are rarely united to deal with that complex matter. Lastly, there are few studies on specific institutional, economic, ideological, cultural, natural, etc. factors responsible for the big variation among countries, regions, industries, and organizations of agricultural activity.
Consequently, our understanding on the institutional, behavioural, technological, ecological, international, etc. factors of the management and strategies of natural resources conservation in agriculture is impeded. Neither the spectrum of feasible formal, informal, market, private, public, integral, multilateral, transnational, etc. modes of governance can be properly identified, nor their efficiency (potential and limits), complementarities, conflicts, and prospects of development correctly assessed. All these restrict our capability to assist improvement of public policies, strategies, and modes of intervention, and to support individual, business and collective strategies and actions for effective natural resources conservation.
This paper suggests a holistic framework for assessment and improvement of management strategies for conservation of natural resources in agriculture.
First, it incorporates an interdisciplinary approach and presents a modem framework for assessing environmental management and strategies in agriculture.
Second, it presents evolution and assesses the efficiency of diverse management forms and strategies for conservation of natural resources in Bulgarian agriculture during post-communist transformation and European Union (EU) integration, and evaluates the impacts of EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on environmental sustainability of farms of different juridical type, size, specialization and location.
Finally, it suggests recommendations for improvement of public policies, strategies and modes of intervention, and private and collective strategies and actions for effective environmental protection.
2. Framework for analysing natural resources management and strategies in agriculture Modes of agro-eco-management and agro-eco-strategies
Environmental management means management of environment preservation and improvement activities of individual agents. Maintaining and amelioration of the state of natural environment and its individual components (air, waters, lands, biodiversity, climate, ecosystem services) requires an effective social order (governance) regulating behaviour and relations of various agents related to environment - a system of motivation and coordination of (eco)actions which is to induce appropriate behaviour1 of individuals and coordinated actions at group, regional, national, and transnational levels (Bachev 2010).
Environmental management in agriculture (or agro-eco-management) comprises the environmental management associated with agricultural (food, fibber, fuel, raw material etc.) production. It (is to) involves management of activities, relations, and impacts of diverse agrarian (farm managers, resource owners, agricultural labour etc.) and non-agrarian (upstream and down-stream businesses, consumers, residents, interest group etc.) agents (Figure 1).
Individual agrarian agents (farmland owners, farm entrepreneurs, farm labour) may have quite diverse strategies in terms of natural resources conservation (Figure 2). According to their ideologies and environmental ethics, awareness of environmental risks, managerial and technical ability, some individual agents may have direct natural resources conservation goals. Accordingly these green individuals will pursue natural resources conservation strategy in their everyday life and activity. For instance, for natural resource owners the sustainable exploitation (conservation) of their assets is often a primary concern and often it determines the type of farms they set up, other ventures (e.g. group or cooperative farms) they participate, or lease out contracts they sign. Similarly, a pro-environment farm entrepreneur establishes green (individual, cooperative, firm) farming structure following own or collective voluntary eco-code of behaviour. Finally, farm labour may seek employment in a green cooperative or companies with eco-social responsibility.
Furthermore, in recent years there have been developed a great number of farms and farming enterprises with a primary ora major mission environmental conservation and improvement.
For instance, in many EU countries environmental cooperatives have been very popular there are numerous green agri-firms etc.
Nevertheless, most farm structures in modem world have other goals and pursue other (than natural resources conservation) strategies - e.g. agri-firms are profit-oriented and their primary strategy is to maximize profits for shareholders, cooperatives are member-oriented and carry s