Rapid Progress in Agriculture
In recent years, Bulgaria’s agricultural institutions have developed rapidly, supported both by the State and by private initiatives. The combined efforts of government organizations, agricultural schools, and local societies have led to steady improvements in farming methods, education, and production.
To coordinate and oversee this progress, a special agricultural section was created in 1894 within the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture. This department is responsible for supervising all agricultural activities in the Principality and ensuring that farmers across the country benefit from scientific and practical knowledge Customized Round Turkey Tours.
Structure of the Ministry and Its Divisions
The agricultural section of the Ministry is divided into smaller departments, each specializing in one branch of agriculture. These divisions deal with:
General agriculture and crop cultivation
Viticulture (the growing of vines and wine production)
Fruit-growing and orchard management
Cattle-breeding and livestock improvement
Bee-keeping, which is an important rural activity in many regions
Each department studies its area of specialization and provides advice, training, and materials to farmers through local offices.
Agricultural Districts and Inspectors
To make supervision more effective, the whole country has been divided into 44 agricultural districts. Each district is placed under the charge of a government agricultural inspector.
These inspectors have several key responsibilities:
To enforce agricultural laws, such as those regulating village police, phylloxera control (a vine pest), silkworm breeding, and egg production;
To promote agricultural education by organizing lectures, exhibitions, and practical demonstrations for farmers;
To collect information on local farming conditions and report it to the Ministry.
Through their activities, the inspectors serve as a vital link between the State administration and the rural population, helping to spread modern agricultural practices throughout the country.
State Agricultural Schools and Model Farms
The Bulgarian Government supports two major schools of agriculture, one located at Sadovo (near Philippopolis) and another at Roustchouk (Ruse). Both were founded in 1883 and include model farms where students receive hands-on training.
The main goal of these schools is to train professional agriculturists and agricultural inspectors who can later serve in the State’s agricultural administration or manage farms with advanced methods.
Another State agricultural school operates at Pleven, focusing on fruit-growing and viticulture. In addition, five elementary agricultural schools have been established to spread basic practical knowledge among rural youth. The Government plans to open more schools of this kind in the near future.
Role of Private Initiative and the National Agricultural Society
Alongside the efforts of the State, private organizations have played an essential role in promoting Bulgarian agriculture. The most active among them is the National Agricultural Society, which has been working for more than ten years to improve agricultural education and practice.
The Society publishes a bi-weekly agricultural review and a large number of practical handbooks and guides, written in simple language for farmers. These publications cover subjects such as crop rotation, soil care, pest control, and livestock feeding, helping to make agricultural knowledge available even to small rural communities.
In summary, the cooperation between the State and private organizations has greatly strengthened Bulgarian agriculture. The creation of specialized departments, agricultural schools, and district inspectors, together with educational publications and public demonstrations, has ensured that modern knowledge reaches farmers across the country.
These developments mark an important step toward making Bulgarian agriculture more productive, scientific, and sustainable, laying the foundation for a prosperous rural economy in the years to come.