The purpose of this paper is to report on the changing social structure and function of the Tochikairyoku (Land Improvement Associations) in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, located in North East Japan. This case study was conducted by interviewing executive members of the Iwate Chubu Tochikairyoku and the farming membership working the land and by collecting and examining all available data pertaining to the changes affecting the functioning of this organization. The Tochikairyoku is a non-profit public organization of and for farmers engaged in agriculture or animal husbandry and serves to liaise between farmers and central and local governments. All the costs of management and staff are borne by the members. All decisions to be undertaken must be ratified by the members. The results of the case study indicate that there has been a significant consolidation in the number of Tochikairyoku and farms owing to the dwindling rural population and the ageing of those actively farming the land. Another major factor has been the recent changes in the Japanese Government’s policy that now favours bigger agricultural units over smaller farmers. The Tochikairyoku are instrumental in promoting the new government policies by maintaining irrigation infrastructure and improving the quality of arable land in order to encourage the leasing of land from the smaller farmers to the bigger farm units. The new 2018 Law has effected changes in the election of executive members of the Tochikairyoku to include representatives of agribusiness interests and has introduced a reform of the Tochikairyoku’s accounting practices to make them more transparent.

Rural regions are confronted with several challenges, such as depopulation, overageing or a declining economic importance of the primary sector. Thus, innovative efforts are required to make such regions more attractive and to maintain and further develop social and physical infrastructure. HORIZON 2020 project LIVERUR aims at strengthening rural regions by expanding innovative business models set up as Living Labs, which are user-centred and open-innovation ecosystems. Living Labs establish a sustainable stakeholder partnership, where users, policy-makers, companies and researchers engage in a long-term collaboration. Within LIVERUR, suitable rural business models are identified and will be developed towards the Living Lab concept. Therefore, a framework with a criteria system with the most relevant LIVERUR topics was developed, following a literature review on important documents of the United Nations and EU as well as scientific publications. This criteria system focuses on four main criteria: 1. Living Lab approach, 2. Economic sustainability, 3. Social sustainability and 4. Ecological sustainability. Each criterion is supplemented with 3 to 6 concrete indicators, which help to create a comprehensive view on sustainable business models linked to the Living Lab approach. The results show 20 business models within 13 pilot regions, which are largely on a high level of development, but most of them still have potential for further development. The presented framework is easy in its application and helps to assess and illustrate business models regarding Living Lab and sustainability characteristics. It is also helpful to highlight a business model´s potential for development.

Diseases constitute an important economic problem in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) cultivation. Although downy mildew has been counted so far as a minor disease, under intensive cultivation system and short rotation interval, the impact of diseases could increase in the future, especially under predicted more humid northern climatic conditions. This research study is the first report about the severity of downy mildew infection on cruciferous crops in Estonia. During two years (2010 − 2011), downy mildew infection severity was assessed in six different cruciferous crops (B. napus, B. juncea, B. nigra, Sinapis alba, Raphanus sativus, Eruca sativa) in field trials located in Eerika, Tartu County, Estonia. On both study years, four disease assessments were done. Downy mildew infection started a week earlier in 2010, but the overall disease pressure was lower compared to 2011. Based on our field trial results, S. alba, E. sativa and R. sativus plants were significantly more resistant to downy mildew compared to other tested crops. Furthermore, in 2010 downy mildew symptoms were not recorded on two cruciferous species E. sativa and R. sativus. Brassica nigra and B. napus plants were the most susceptible to downy mildew, with especially severe infection in 2011. Based on our two years data, downy mildew can damage foliage on spring oilseed rape (B. napus) and black mustard (B. nigra) in a notable extent. We conclude that downy mildew is an important pathogen, which should be monitored on different oilseed cruciferous crops in Estonia.

Clusters play an important role in driving competitiveness, innovation and jobs creation in the EU. Romania currently has successful clusters in various economic sectors and services, including 7 clusters in agro-food. Agriculture has been and remains the support of the human existence, which is an important pillar of the Romanian rural economy. The agro-food sector had oscillating evolutions in the post-accession period, mainly generated by the need to get in line with the EU requirements. Stimulating smart technology assimilation across all economic sectors including agro-food value chains, promoting enterprise growth and clusters 4.0 is critical to many EU Member States. Partnerships between countries, regions, cities and clusters are essential in the next industrial modernization process, based on innovation. Clusters 4.0 calls for development of a generation of advanced cluster policies to respond to these new industrial challenges by facilitating cross-sectoral value chains, fostering internationalization, stimulating inter-regional investment and accelerating entrepreneurship and skills in digital production, environmental production, circular economy, service innovation and creative economy. In order to be ready for the future, clusters must be geared towards creating a smart value chains, international cooperation and cross-sectoral partnerships. This research paper proposes a model  as a tool for agro-clusters to become “smart”, also this proposal providing information on the most important steps in the creation and development of smart agro-clusters. The used research methodology was based on analysis and synthesis of the information on the economic and social aspects of the development of the agro-food sector and of clusters in Romania. In conclusion, the authors of this paper wanted to emphasize the necessity of the development of smart agro-clusters for the future smart specialization of the regions.

The research aims of this study were to determine and to evaluate the effect of feed contaminated with different concentrations of fusariotoxins (zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON) on the quality of milk investigate concentration zearalenone in cow milk samples. Feed and milk samples were collected from dairy farms which were the high Total Bacterial Count (TBC) and Somatic Cell Count (SCC) in milk. Feed samples were tested by TLC (Romer Labs methods). The zearalenone (ZEA) in the milk was measured by ELISA test, RIDASCREEN® Zearalenon (R-Biopharm AG). The milk qualitative indicators testing was conducted by public enterprise „Pieno tyrimai“ (Lithuania). From 12 dairy cow farms, which have high TBC and SCC, were selected feed samples for detection of fusariotoxins. Average ZEA concentration in feed was 496.25±51 µg/kg (p<0.05), DON average concentration in feed was 65.31±12 µg/kg (p<0.05). Higher amount TBC in milk samples were in those farms where was detection ZEA and DON concentration. As a result, we can assume that the higher TBC in milk samples than 221±20 thous. CFU/ml was find in farms where in feed samples was detected the higher ZEA concentration than 700±50 µg/kg (p<0.05). The highest levels than 650±42 of SCC in milk were found when the feed samples were contaminated ZEA - 700±50 µg/kg (p<0.05) and more. It can also be observed that the higher the ZEA concentration in the sample is, the higher the amount of SCC follows. Comparing concentration ZEA in feed and in milk established percent from 0.01 to 0.31 % (p<0.05). The highest levels of SCC and TBC were found in samples with high concentrations of ZEA. In 16 % milk samples we detected ZEA, concentration was from 0.08 µg/l to 0.4 µg/l.  

Human community, whose behavior is determined by the influence of biological and social systems, the ability to realize and evaluate the results of its activities, orientation, strategic decisions, to ensure the sustainable development of the ecosystem, in a context of increasing the factor of limited resources (energy, materials, information) is transformed into intellectualization public relations and institutions. Rural development in the context of decentralization has led to the search for effective public administration mechanisms. The purpose of the study is to establish a mechanism for improving the territorial communities management technology on the example of Family Homesteads. The research methodology is based on structured interviews and unstructured conversations with the inhabitants of family homesteads, leadership of local self-government and experts in the field of rural development. Activation of the processes of rural development through the implementation of the idea of "Family Homestate" involves the participation of the population in the normative regulation (the adoption of the relevant law); assistance in the development of new settlements in rural areas by changing the status of the land, creating a land bank; activation of activity of public organizations registered in territorial communities, organization of settlements at the level of territorial communities, including the exchange of experience, coordination of activities in the middle of the movement, establishment of positive relations between the local population and immigrants and others like that. The advantages of the practice of public administration of the territory are established with the help of blockchain technology, which allows to reduce administration costs and promote resource participation.

The aim of the paper was to determine the impact of Marijampolė city wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) on the water quality of the Šešupė River. The wastewater and surface water samples were collected from January 2015 until January 2018. The condition of the surface water the Šešupė River condition is assessed 100 meters before the release point and 500 meters after the release point. The results show that the wastewater treatment  is treated efficiently. It has been determined that the values all indicators of wastewater treatment efficiency duration of the study was the same (the function was negative, and the determination coefficients were very low: R2= 0. 03; R2= 0.012; R2= 0.0006 and R2=0.034). The treated wastewater is released from the Marijampolė WWTP into the Šešupe River. The highest concentration according to all examined indicators was in 500 meters after the release of the wastewater. All differences were found to be statistically significant. It shows that, although wastewater is efficiently treated, it has a negative impact on the water quality of the Šešupė River.

Fusing best international and local quality management and control practices is one of the most effective ways to gain competitive advantage. Among other things, this includes implementing "customer focus" and "factual decision-making", the key principles of Universal Quality Management, through qualimetric models. The authors have identified qualimtric models with the best quality management potential across the food processing industry, at different product life cycle stages. They especially emphasize the potential of applying qualimetric forecast to food quality and safety. The authors have identified the main stages of product quality metrics forecasting to predict and achieve the desirable food quality in the most effective way possible. The proposed methods are a combination of qualifying methods and world’s best quality management tools and techniques. With the example of quality management in curd products at the development stage the authorship points out the indicators defining product quality and safety, ranks value in building product quality, gives a math formula to describe product quality and an algorithm to assess product quality based on a comprehensive quality indicator and deduce recommendations to achieve desirable and predictable product properties. The proposed stages of qualimetric forecasting, based on the integration of qualimetric models in quality management, have been tested on some curd products in production and proven to be practically effective.

This article reveals the importance of social infrastructure (hereinafter SI) services to rural people, overall rural development and its interface with green economy in Poland and Lithuania. Social infrastructure services are recognized as basic services which are useful and used by people in everyday life regardless of where people live. Development of these services is a key issue when it is analysed in the rural context because it includes various services for local community, facilities, relationships and networks which is not always the focus even in scientific discourse. Social infrastructure services can be considered as important element of rural people integration, fostering their capabilities and acknowledging human rights. The research question of this article is – how the importance of social infrastructure services in rural areas appears? The aim of the research is to disclose the importance of social infrastructure services in rural areas. There were used both theoretical and empirical research methods exploring the evaluations about of social infrastructure services in Poland and Lithuania by using empirical data from European Social Survey. The research results disclosed that the differences between two countries are not very strong and between rural and urban areas are slightly noticeable in some aspects. In Poland the state of education services in rural areas and small towns was rated little higher than in Lithuania, while perception of health services is much better in Lithuania, especially in big cities. Lithuanian residents trust the police more than Polish people but their feeling of safety is noticeably lower.

Colletotrichum spp. is a significant strawberry fruit pathogen, causing yield losses of up to 80% - growing resistance to pesticides demands to new, environmentally-friendly plant protection. Essential oils (EO) are one of the biological plant protection products suitable for pathogens control. The antimicrobial and antifungal activity of EO, biodegradability and low toxicity, make it potential for use in plant protection against pathogens instead of chemicals. The present study was carried out to investigate the antifungal effects of Salvia officinalis and Picea abies essential oils against strawberry Colletotrichum spp. The research carried at the LAMMC Institute of Horticulture. The bio-fungicidal effect was assessed based on radial growth inhibitions. There were evaluated several EO concentrations: 1000-1800 µl/l. Single-spore isolate fragment placed in the centre of PDA with different concentrations. Plates were incubated at oils 25 o C in darkness and evaluated after 2, 4, 7 days. S. officinalis and P. abies EO showed inhibitory effect on Colletotrichum spp. mycelial development. The S. officinalis inhibitory effect was more than 50% in all concentrations. The present study revealed that highest 1800 μl/l S. officinalis EO concentration Colletotrichum spp. colony diameter was significantly lower (1.84 cm) compared with control (5.75 cm). However, P. abies inhibition more than 50 % were only in concentrations from 1600 μl/l. According to our results, treatment with EO can reduce the growth of Colletotrichum spp. and EO could be an effective potential bio-fungicide to control strawberry anthracnose. EO as bio-fungicides characteristics is their natural origin and low risk for resistance development.