Eco-agriculture: a successful business biodiversity model. Romania Case.

This paper provides a diagnosis of European Union biodiversity policy, the conceptual framework of biodiversity and business biodiversity, presenting also the successful business biodiversity models of European economy. A special interest is paid to 'biodiversity-friendly' eco-agriculture, a sector of potential business opportunities also in Romania, considering that eco-agriculture has been a 'continuum' in Romania, due to long lasting and well preserved food traditions, in spite of any cultural, economic or political influence. The Romanian village has never given up on organic food; the current eco-challenge is more for the urban area, but organic food awareness has encouraging perspectives. The results of a sampling survey, conducted among young people, across Romania, reveals the fact that the people's interest in organic food is high (74%) while the government's involvement in supporting organic farming and production is perceived as unsatisfactory (77.5%). The consumers request access to information about the organic food available in stores, in order to be able to identify and choose the right products. It should be seen as a major trend in the Romanians' food consumption the fact that more than 80% of respondents are choosing organic food if they have a variety of assortments on the shelves. Romanian consumers are very attached to traditional farming and they associate organic products with the traditional way of cultivating land, which is a certification of the fact that the products are ecological.