Modern orchards and innovative solutions: two Ștefan Vodă farmers fight climate challenges
Two brothers from the Ştefan Vodă district established a modern orchard, believing that innovations are key to overcoming current challenges such as climate change, labor shortages, and adherence to European market standards. This year, the area dedicated to orchards has significantly declined; however, many farmers are now transforming cereal fields into fruit tree orchards. By embracing modern solutions, they have a strong chance of succeeding.
Andrei Golinschi is a 24-year-old farmer with a modern vision and a forward-thinking approach. Alongside his sister, he is developing a super-intensive plum orchard, where technology and mechanization play a crucial role.
“We wanted to make a long-term investment and decided that planting an orchard is the best investment in agriculture. We are starting with plum cultivation because we believe it is an easier crop to grow given the land we have,” says Andrei.
He aims to mechanize as many processes as possible. For instance, they use GPS-guided equipment for planting trees.
“With a team of five, we can plant three hectares per day. Without mechanization, it would take about 20 to 50 people to accomplish the same task. Mechanized planting is the future of the Republic of Moldova,” he explains.
Like many young farmers, Andrei and his sister depend on state support.
"We want to be able to apply for subsidies, and we are counting on government assistance to establish this orchard. The existence of state support was a significant factor in our decision to make this investment," Andrei emphasizes.
The Stefan Voda district boasts over 2,600 hectares of fruit plantations; however, a significant portion of these are either old or technologically outdated. Experts emphasize that, in order to remain competitive and successfully export to the European Union, farmers need to replant at least 150 to 200 hectares of land each year. This highlights the necessity for mechanization in the agricultural sector.
