A Model and Plan for Bio-Dynamic Agriculture based on Agricultural Producers Group: A Case Study in Moldova

The family is a central institution in agriculture (Stiglbauer and Weiss, 2000; Leonard et al., 2017, Bertolozzi-Caredio et al., 2020). This evidence is referred in the literature as intangible asset transfer (Grubbström and Sooväli-Sepping, 2012). In addition, livestock production contributes 40% of the value added by the agricultural sector and one third of the protein intake of mankind (Steinfeld et al., 2006).

However, the livestock sector no longer exists in the Republic of Moldova and the family model of farming is in a dramatic situation for the following reasons: 1) There is alack of basic education and, as a result, it could be assumed that farmers have limited knowledge about agricultural practices, such as new irrigation systems and trade-offs with alternatives to fertilizer production 2) Lack of access for farmers to the knowledge and experience concentrated in research institutes. 3) Farmers' failure to encourage young people to stay in rural areas without access to university. 4) Low availability and use of agricultural seeds 5) Very few examples of crop diversification and recycling 6) Very few agricultural producers group and training institutions, 7) lack of new mechanisms for farmers to communicate with investment banks and traders, as the economy is based on families and therefore farmers are not familiar with business language. 8) Farmers are reluctant to takeout formal loans because they do not knowhow to fill in the documentation, because they have not received any offers or because they have no credit history and the lack of design of a viable agricultural insurance system. 9) There is no solid plan to recreate the livestock sector and integrate it with family farming.

This paper proposes a bio-dynamic FARMING MODEL AND PLAN for family farming in Moldova.

In order to understand how agricultural techniques should be created and applied in bio-dynamic Agriculture, a National Program of Technical Assistance and Financial Support for Family Farming is proposed to be implemented through local administrations and institutions. The main objective of the activity is to stimulate the process of generation and application of new knowledge, paying particular attention to national and international cooperation in the field of Science, Education and Innovation, with the stimulation of research and training and the fixation of qualified and committed human resources in the local reality. It is proposed to set up a bio-dynamic agriculture programme based on mentoring, best practices and lessons learned and mainly training courses to facilitate farmers' access to agricultural knowledge and information. When farmers are well trained, in a long-term perspective of the relationship between government and farmers, the quality of popular participation in agricultural projects will increase exponentially.

There are several issues of interest to family farmers. Most recently, the issues that deserve more attention are: 1) The need to expand studies on greenhouse gas measurement. 2) the strong emphasis on precision farming (more efficient use of inputs and resources, less carbon intensive production, etc.); 3) promotion of the development and widespread use of "land-saving"/resource-efficient technologies, making it possible to maintain the trajectory of reduced deforestation and expanded production. 4) comparison of irrigation techniques 5) re-creation of the livestock sector and integration with family farming 6) procedures to save and collect water 7) recycling and fertilization 8) advantages of crop diversification Given these needs caused by the lack of understanding of culture’simpacts, this paper presents a theoretical model to elucidate the relationships between national culture (values, beliefs and assumptions), knowledge management practices (creation and sharing of relevant knowledge) and organizational intelligence (interpretation and application of this knowledge). It is intended that this model, referred here as the Culture, Knowledge and Intelligence (CKI model), will serve as a starting point for further applied and empirical work designing bio-dynamic projects in the family farming sector.

This article is structured as follows. In addition to this introduction and conclusions, section 1 reports some best practices and lessons learned from bio-dynamic farming for the soil of Moldova. Section 2 explains the integration of knowledge management and organizational intelligence concepts and practices. Section 3 presents the topic of cultural intelligence together with the Culture-Knowledge-Intelligence-KIC model, combining the various theoretical elements gathered throughout the previous sections. 1.1 Best practices and lessons learned from bio-dynamic agriculture According to World WildLife (WWF), agriculture is the world'slargest industry, employing more than one billion people worldwide and generating more than $1.3 trillion worth of food annually.

Morseletto (2019) argues that the so-called "green revolution" has been characterized by intensive agricultural practices in developed countries, where abuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticide use, monoculture production, intensive irrigation and deforestation have been common practices.

The green revolution has failed to catch on because it has greatly reduced production and productivity, without a balance with job creation and food subsistence, even within the household. This was due to excessive focus on the environment, without a balance with the community, livestock and marketing of part of the production.

An excellent alternative to industrial agriculture, also in decline due to excessive mechanization, chemical manipulation and use of herbicides, as well as disregard for environmental conservation, is bio-dynamic agriculture.

Bio-dynamic agriculture is a step ahead of organic farming because it takes a holistic, ecological and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food and nutrition, and is a way of living, working and relating to nature and agricultural vocations based on commonsense practices, awareness of the uniqueness of each landscape and the inner development of each person and, consequently, of all practitioners within the community.

Bio-dynamic agriculture has its roots in the work of the philosopher and scientist Dr Rudolf Steiner, who opened up a new way of integrating scientific understanding with an awareness of the spirit in nature.

Crops are used for a variety of purposes, including human food, animal feed, bio-fuels and other non-food products (Cassidy et al., 2013). Cover crops also contribute to farm fertility by adding plant diversity and bringing life and sentience to the soil through oxygen and nitrogen.

Crop rotation helps balance the needs of each crop and allows for creative diversity of expression in the soil. Together, these practices reduce or eliminate the need for imported fertilizer and allow the farm to move toward balance and resilience (Zaller, 2004).

Junquera et al. (2022) sustains that effective policies to support farm resilience, rural livelihoods and biodiversity will require a local to regional understanding of how farmers (re-)construct personal and professional social networks in changing rural socioeconomic systems and under increasingly competitive macroeconomic conditions.

Commonsense practices include: striving to be self-sufficient in energy, fertilizers, plants and animals; structuring activities based on working with the rhythms of nature; using diversity of plants, fertilizers and animals in a healthy way; approaching work with seriousness, neatness, tidiness, focus on observation and attention to detail; timeliness in doing work (Steiner, 1993). Campbell and Watson (2001) and Raupp (2001) found that soil improvement, within the bio-dynamic farming approach, is achieved through proper humus management-for example, by applying sufficient manure and organic compost in the best possible fermentation state; proper crop rotation; good soil functioning; protective measures such as wind protection; cover crops, green manures and diversified crops rather than mono-cultures; and mixed cropping so that plants can help and support each other.

Boris, Coșman and Chilat (2020) determined the amount of mineralized organic matter to obtain the expected yield of different crops in isolation with and without perennial grasses. Soil organic matter balance was determined by comparing the amount of mineralized organic matter for yield formation and the amount of newly formed organic matter (humus) from crop residues and manure. The authors propose a model to evaluate the provision of dairy cattle with forages and, concomitantly, the capacity of soils to compensate, together with gumanure, the mineralization losses of soil organic matter for the formation of the expected level of production (Boris, Coșman and Chilat, 2020).

The general rule is that soil-depleting crops, such as maize and potatoes in the field and cabbage, cauliflower, etc. in the garden, should alternate with soil-replenishing crops, such as those of the legume family (peas, beans, clover, etc.). Also, deep-rooted crops should alternate with shallow-rooted crops, and crops that require fertilizer should alternate with those that do not need it.

In this direction, a national policy and program of technical assistance for family farming, with implementation through local administrations and institutions, will benefit smallholder farmers through subsidized inputs and technical assistance (Mazhar et al., 2021), will help encourage improved farming practices through crop diversification (Nyantakyi-Frimpong et al., 2017), and new mechanisms for farmers to communicate with investment banks and traders, as well as social organizations (producer association) to facilitate participation in state-promoted programs and projects (Junquera et al., 2022). In the direction of bio-dynamic agriculture, FAO (2021) found that sustainable agricultural practices can help reduce damage to ecosystems and help maintain food production despite climate change, extreme weather, drought and other disasters, as well as progressively improve land and soil quality (FAO, 2021).

In terms of fertilization, in addition to the amounts of nitrogen fertilizers (nitrates) that should be used, there are two other issues to consider: when and how to distribute them. The timing of the application of these fertilizers varies according to the crop and the climate, in particular the distribution of rainfall.

In terms of seed use, the main advantage of sowing is to save time and sow the seed at the right depth. Threshing is the method of detaching the grain from the straw or husk after the crop has been harvested. It can be done by hand or with a machine to separate all the grain seeds.

With regards to irrigation, it is noted that comparisons between irrigation infrastructures are rare in the literature, but the clear advantage of drip irrigation is the uniform delivery of water directly to each plant during the growing season according to the water requirements of each crop. Irrigation interval and frequency must be maintained as these vary from crop to crop. Other advantages of drip irrigation over sprinkler irrigation are: 1-Saving water and energy in pumping water and in the actual workload 2-Possibility to apply fertilizer. 3-Reduces the risk of weeds. 4-Maintains soil structure and texture. The main disadvantage is the initial cost. It is also important to note that drip flooding can occur. In this respect, it is extremely important to be aware of the trade-offs in the ago-zoo-technical areas of family farming. For example, in the absence of measures to restore soil fertility, irrigation contributes to the intensification of soil organic matter mineralization processes, with all the negative consequences.

It is, without doubt, the best irrigation technique for the type of soil in Moldova-a heavy clay loam CERNOZEMIC SOIL-to which is added the lack of rainfall, especially in summer.

One of the limiting factors for planting in CERNOZEMIC soils is the lack of nitrogen. However, it is possible to increase nitrogen in Moldova by biological means, returning perennial leguminous crops, especially alfalfa, to the soil to save the import of nitrogen fertilizer.

Qualifying and quantifying the soil quality problem for agriculture involves a number of knowledge areas and the need to pool experiences to propose solutions.

The two important technologies developed/under development in Brazil could be applied in this case of Moldova: the biological fixation of Nitrogen by rhizobia and the use of remineralizers.

Notwithstanding the soil quality problem and the techniques for supplying the necessary nutrients, Moldova must also mitigate the effect of weather conditions.

Agriculture is the main livelihood inmost developing countries, but climate change has complicated agricultural production and food security (Ray et al., 2015). This has reduced crop yields by up to 60%, depending on crop, location and future climate scenario (Rose-nzweig et al., 2014; Asseng et al., 2015).

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture (e.g. rice cultivation, enteric fermentation, manure and synthetic fertilizers), land-use change and forestry contribute to climate change.

It is essential that the Republic of Moldova starts to carryout more studies on bio-dynamic agriculture to enable guidance for family farmers, the main beneficiaries of this learning process and the win-win relationship with the government, private sector, research institutes, chambers of commerce and agricultural producers groups-GoPs.

This communication between researchers, development banks and family farmers can be achieved through the creation of GoPs which, in addition to addressing the issue of technical training, provide financial support to family farming initiatives. However, while the creation of GoPs is a good solution, people need to be educated in this, as well as in knowledge management practices, especially in terms of mentoring, best practices and lessons learned.