Brief history

Brief history of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences – Forum of agricultural scientific research in Romania.

Over time, under the influence of socio-economic transformations and the development of education, the organization of agronomic scientific research and academic life went through different forms of institutional structuring.

In 1886, the Central Agronomic Station was established, which was later included as a department in the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania, in 1927.

In this period of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the new century, great pioneers in the process of organizing agricultural education and agricultural research, Ion Ionescu de la Brad, the author of the first manual of agriculture and animal husbandry (1871) wrote their names , Petre S. Aurelian, Constantin Sandu-Aldea, Vlad Cârnu-Munteanu, G. Munteanu-Murgoci, Nicolae Filip, George Maior, C. Vasilescu, Carol Davila, Ion Athanasiu, Paul Riegler, Ioan Poienaru, Ioan Ştefan Furtună, V. Lucaci et al.

In 1895, the Pasteur Veterinary Research Institute was founded, whose longevity can be traced over time, up to the present day.

In the same year, the Animal Husbandry Institute was organized in addition to the Department of Animal Husbandry of the Higher School of Veterinary Medicine, and in 1926 the National Animal Husbandry Institute was established, which in 1949 became the Animal Husbandry Research Institute (ICZ) which had scientific research stations with activity mixed, i.e. conducting research on several animal husbandry species in the same unit (Bonţida, Pădureni, Runcu, Rusețu, Popăuţi, Palas, Dulbanu, Mărculeşti, etc.).

In 1927, the Romanian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR) was established with a network of zonal experimental stations, by High Royal Decree no. 1205/04.05.1927, which provides for its objectives, attributions and heritage.

ICAR was composed of the following sections:

1. Phytogenetics and Phytotechnics Section
2. Section of Agricultural Chemistry, Microbiology and Physics
3. Section of Phytopathology, Entomology and Agricultural Parasitology
4. The section on raising animals necessary for agriculture
5. Machinery, Land Improvement and Rural Construction Section
6. Rural Economy Section

In 1932, the law was completed, establishing the sections that make up the institute, their purpose, objectives, as well as the establishment, in different regions of the country, of agronomic, viticultural, horticultural, sericulture, agricultural stations and special stations for improving plants . At the same time, in this law, at art. 9, the land areas with which the institute was equipped were also provided for, with the express specification:

„All the lands, all the buildings and the entire inventory currently in use by the Institute, the stations and laboratories that depend on it, become the full property of the Agronomic Research Institute. The lands and buildings of the Institute are inalienable and may not be alienated either in whole or in part”.

According to the law, ICAR establishes stations in different regions of the country in order to carry out scientific research and apply the results obtained, to guide the growers in the respective regions, to apply special laws regarding the control of seeds, the use of insect-fungicides and the examination agricultural products. The work program of the stations was established by the Council of the institute, and the coordination of the activity was carried out by the heads of the scientific sections delegated in this regard.

In the following years, ICAR expanded its network of regional stations, so that in 1944, it consisted of 20 stations, distributed across the country as follows: in Oltenia: Deveselu Agricultural Experimental Station, Studina Agricultural Experimental Station, Viticultural Experimental Station and Drăgăşani Oenology, Strehaia Experimental Station, Filiaşi Experimental Station (Tâmbureşti); in Muntenia: Pitaru-Dâmbovița Hydraulic Experimental Station, Bărăganului Agricultural Experimental Station, Nicolae Filipescu Agricultural Experimental Station (Domnească Mill), Cislău Sericicola Station, Cazaci Sericicola Station; in Dobrogea: Murfatlar Agricultural Experimental Station, Valu lui Traian Agricultural Experimental Station; in Banat: Cenad Agricultural Experimental Station, Orşova Experimental Station; in Transylvania: Cluj Plant Breeding Station, Turzii Plain Agricultural Experimental Station; in Moldova: Iasi Plant Breeding Station, Agricultural Experimental Station Tg. Frumos, Fălticeni Agricultural Experimental Station, Odobeşti-Putna Oenological Station.

Consistent with the principle that „Agronomic science is not the science of plant culture, but is the science of the agricultural enterprise of valuing and organizing production factors: soil, plant, animal, in order to ensure maximum benefits and that in the interest of agricultural science, a specialization in different branches of production, including animal husbandry”,

An important moment in the history of Romanian agricultural research is the establishment of the Academy of Agriculture in Romania, following the General Assembly of the National Society of Agriculture on May 22, 1941, at the initiative of the former Minister of Agriculture and Domains, Constantin Garoflid, supported by I. Sichitiu, the minister since then of Agriculture and Domains.

Thus, by Decree – Law no. 229, from August 13, 1941, the Academy of Agriculture in Romania was established, which establishes that „the purpose of the Academy of Agriculture is to contribute to the progress of scientific research in the field of agriculture, in its broadest sense, and to develop in our country research in this direction through the coordination and cooperation of the Romanian scientific activity and the gathering of the necessary documentation for the use of practical agriculture throughout the country.”

It is worth noting the advanced thinking for those times, the interest and desire of the ministers who led the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains as well as the Union of Agricultural Trade Unions to support the development of the new academic institution, not only through the initiation and elaboration of the law of establishment, but also through its material support.

By Decree no. 1500/1942, the first 47 full members, founding members of the new academic institution, were appointed. Among them we mention great personalities of the time, agronomic engineers, forestry engineers, economists, biologists, veterinarians: Gheorghe Ionescu-Sişeşti, Grigore Antipa, Constantin IC Brătianu, Gheorghe Cipăianu, Alexandru Ciucă, Gheorghe K. Constantinescu, Nicolae Cornățeanu, Marin Drăcea, Nicolae Florov, Constantin Garoflid, Ernest Grinţescu, Nicolae Juvara, Nicolae Lahovary, Alexandru Nasta, Aurelian Pană, Teodor Saidel, Nicolae Săulescu, Traian Săvulescu, Ion C. Teodorescu, etc. Later, the Academy managed to gather around it, in the short time left until the events of 1944, a number of personalities from research and education in the 9 established scientific sections, which covered the main branches of agriculture.

Thus, a high scientific and cultural forum was created, to coordinate and transmit scientific news in agricultural practice, for the advancement of agriculture.

At the founding meeting of the Academy of Agriculture on July 10, 1942, Constantin Garoflid was elected as president, Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti, Alexandru Ciucă and Aurelian Pană as vice-presidents, and Nicolae Săulescu as general secretary. The Academy began its activity through a series of scientific communications that debated problems of agriculture, organization, substantiation of some laws, cooperation in agriculture and scientific news.

The coordination and cooperation between the Academy of Agriculture and the research institutes is achieved through the personalities who were also members of the Academy of Agriculture and researchers of the ICAR and the ICZ, who supported the scientific activity and contributed to the coordination of the research and the debate of the scientific results in the sessions Academy. The most important scientific results of the ICAR and the ICZ were presented in this high forum and published in the Bulletin of the Romanian Academy of Agriculture. The Academy of Agriculture annually awards researchers for outstanding results from the Academy’s Prize Fund.

In 1945, the government abusively decided to abolish the Academy of Agriculture in Romania „for superior state interests”, despite the fact that the Statute of the Academy of Agriculture provided:

„The abolition of the Academy of Agriculture can only be done by the decision of the General Assembly, taken with a majority of 2/3 of the total number of full members and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains”.

The social and economic transformations that took place after the Second World War, as well as land exploitation, led to the need to adapt the organization of scientific research to the new conditions. Thus, new institutes were established, with a vast network of experimental stations, to support the development of agriculture through research results. Starting with 1956, the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania is reorganized by transforming some sections into professional institutesl.

The existence of more than 100 agricultural research units, institutes and resorts has brought back to the present the need to coordinate, at the national level, the research activity by a prestigious scientific forum, which would intensify the process of modernization of the activity and restore contacts with agricultural farms (IAS and CAP) and with similar institutions abroad.

In 1962, the Central Agricultural Research Institute (ICCA) was established, by Law no. 1 of May 31, 1962, with the aim of organizing scientific research in agriculture in a unitary manner and to propel it to a higher level, in order to face the new requirements to increase production, to create a modern system for the production of seeds and planting material, to work the soil on large areas. This coordinating body was organized by scientific sections, staffed with its own staff and tasked with distributing research funds by programs, through contracts and receiving funded research results.

According to art. 26 of law no. 1/1962, the Central Institute for Agricultural Research consisted of:

• The Research Institute for Cereals and Technical Plants – Fundulea, established by the transformation of the Agricultural Research Institute, which in turn was established by the unification of the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania with the Research Institute for Maize Culture, based on HCM no. 305/22 May 1961;
• Horti-Viticulture Research Institute, established in 1956, based on HCM no. 2730, by detaching the fruit-growing, viticulture and vegetable-growing sections from ICAR and transferring them, together with the specialized stations, to the newly created institute. The Horticultural Research Institute, on the basis of HCM 2380/1967, is divided into 3 institutes: the Research Institute for Fruit Growing – Mărăcineni, with fruit growing stations; The Research Institute for Viticulture and Winemaking – Valea Călugărească, with the viticulture and winemaking stations; The Research Institute for Vegetable and Floriculture – Vidra, with vegetable-related stations;
• The Research Institute for the Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture (ICMEA), established by HCM no. 543/16.04.1952 through the transformation of the Agricultural Machinery and Tools Testing Station, Baneasa within ICAR;
• Department of Agrarian Economy;
• Pedology section.
• They were under the Central Institute of Agricultural Research:
• Experimental regional agricultural research stations;
• The Central Station of Beekeeping and Sericulture.

In 1967, the Research Institute for Potato and Sugar Beet Culture was established in Braşov and the Research Institute for Plant Protection in Bucharest..

By Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSR no. 1780/September 2, 1969 regarding the establishment of measures related to the establishment within the Superior Council of Agriculture of the Department of Land Funds, Water Management and Land Improvements, it was decided that the pedology Sector, from the Research Institute for Land Improvements and Pedology, would be reorganized under the name by the Pedology Research Institute, within the Central Agricultural Research Institute, subordinated to the Superior Council of Agriculture.

On November 14, 1969, the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (ASAS) was founded, according to Decree no. 704 of October 11, 1969.

The mission of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences was to concentrate the forces of scientific creation to coordinate the scientific activity throughout the country, the effective utilization of research results and to be responsible for the organization of the production of seed, planting material, breeding animals, serums and vaccines for veterinary use, necessary for agriculture.

In the ASAS General Assembly, the ASAS Statute was approved, which also provided for the scientific research units subordinated to ASAS, and 117 members were also elected, of which 17 were honorary members, 45 full members and 55 corresponding members.

The Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences takes over and develops in its structure all fields of agricultural research with the aim of coordinating, organizing and modernizing the scientific research activity in accordance with the development objectives of agriculture, in order to meet the requirements of intensive development of agriculture in holdings large IAS, CAP and AEI types

In the years that followed, the adaptation of the research objectives to the newly created conditions in agriculture required the deepening of research in all agricultural branches and their structuring on research programs for increasing and diversifying production, both in the plant sector, as well as in the zootechnical, forestry sector and food industry.

In the period 1960 – 1985, new research units were established, located in different pedoclimatic conditions, the research topic was expanded, a good technical endowment was achieved (laboratories with modern equipment, phytotechnics, zootron, equipment for the experimental fields) increased the number of researchers to over 3,500, most benefiting from specialization and documentation internships abroad. Valuable results with practical applicability were obtained (new varieties and hybrids, plant cultivation and animal breeding technologies, new serums, vaccines and veterinary drugs, solutions for the mechanization of agricultural work, the production of seed and breeding animals at the level of national requirements) that contributed to the quantitative and qualitative growth of agricultural production.

A particularly important role was assigned to the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences in the coordination of the research activity, by establishing its objectives, analyzing the research results in the scientific sections, achieving the necessary seeds and planting material for the transfer into production of the new biological materials.

After 1990, the process of revitalizing and reorganizing ASAS was complex, due to the diversity of new problems: putting the issue of sustainable development of agriculture and rural life on the forefront, reviving ASAS through the election of new members, establishing the legal status of research units , the reconsideration of the own land patrimony of the research units, the development of priority research objectives, the adaptation of research programs to the new requirements of demand and supply, financing under conditions of competition.

In 1992, by Government Decision no. 141, the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences was assigned the name of the Romanian scientist Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti, becoming the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences „Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti”.

The Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences gathered around it great values ​​from research and education in all fields: Gheorghe Bâia, Gheorghe Bâlteanu, Teodor Bordeianu, Zenoviu Borlan, Marcu Botzan, Andrei Canarache, Nichifor Ceapoiu, Gherasim Constantinescu, Nicolae Constantinescu, Nicolae Cornățeanu , Valeriu Cotea, David Davidescu, Mircea Doucet, Iulian Drăcea, Nicolae Florea, Vasile Gheţie, Nicolae Giosan, Victor Giurgiu, Cristian Hera, Ana Hulea, Nicolae Hulpoi, Mircea Ionescu, Constantin Manolache, Mircea Moţoc, Nicolae Munţiu, Tiberiu Mureşan, Emil Negruţiu, Grigore Obrejanu, Ion Popescu-Zeletin, Ilie Popovici, Valentin Popovici, Ion F. Radu, Corneliu Răuţă, Ioan Sabin Safta, Nicolae Săulescu, Nicolae N. Săulescu, Irimie Staicu, Nicolae Ştefan, Ion C. Teodorescu., Vasile Velican, Octavian Vlăduţiu, Alexandru Viorel Vrânceanu, Stan Târlea, Condrea Dragănescu, Ion Dinu, Ion Apahideanu, Gheorghe Burlacu, Vasile Taftă, Dumitru Simionescu.

Over time, the management of ICAR, ICCA and ASAS was entrusted to the following personalities:

• ICAR Directors: Academician Gheorghe Ionescu-Sişeşti (1928-1948)
• Academician Traian Săvulescu (1948-1960)
• Academician Grigore Obrejanu (1961-1962).
• The general directors of I.C.C.A.: acad. Nicolae Giosan (1962-1966)
• Academician Irimie Staicu (1966-1969)

At the leadership of ASAS, notable personalities from the Romanian scientific life succeeded as follows:

From the beginning, ASAS members were deeply involved in the activity of research units, many of them being in their management, or in the management and execution of research programs and projects, fully contributing to the development of scientific activity in the field, as well as to the training of young research staff through doctorate.

Currently, according to the ASAS Statute, the academy has a maximum number of 181 full and corresponding members, 40 Romanian honorary members, a number of 90 honorary members from abroad and a maximum of 90 associate members.

After 1989, the passage through a long period of transition from the centralized economy to the market economy, the reconstitution of private land properties, the modification of the way of exploitation of the land, the poor technical endowment, the growing emphasis on the insufficiency of funds for high-performance research, the lack of a legal status of the research units appropriate to the new socio-economic conditions had negative effects on the research infrastructures, on the activity and stability of the research staff. The underfunding of research activity contributed to the reduction of the number of research units and researchers, which determined the concentration of research in institutes and stations that have the potential necessary for performance and competition.

After 2017, the research activity was revived as a result of the reorganization of the cdi units subordinated to ASAS through government decisions and the resumption of their financing from the state budget.

The new organization of ASAS and the research-development system in the field of agriculture, forestry and food industry was legislated by Law no. 290/2002, Law no. 45/2009 and Law 72/2011. They state that ASAS is the successor and sole successor in rights of the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania, the National Zootechnical Institute, the Romanian Academy of Agriculture and the Central Institute of Agricultural Research, reorganized in the current structure of ASAS, with objectives and attributions corresponding to the current and prospective requirements of the sustainable development of agriculture and the rural environment.