FROM THE SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE TO THE ECOLOGICAL MONTANE AGRICULTURE IN THE UPPER BASIN OF THE SOMEŞUL MARE RIVER M. MUREŞIANU 1 , E. SCHUSTER 1 , A. BARTA 1 ABSTRACT. – From the Subsistence Agriculture to the Ecological Montane Agriculture in the Upper Basin of the Someşul Mare River. Comprising a number of 10 political-administrative units (9 communes and one town), the upper basin of the Someşul Mare river has, because of the morphologic-topographical features of the terrain and the soil and climate conditions, a sustenance agriculture, while industrial activities had either “vanished” (mining and ore processing), or significantly reduced their activity (primary wood processing, milk processing, exploitation and primary processing of construction rocks, etc). Under these circumstances, material and especially financial resources necessary for sustainable rural development are decreasing. Therefore, the only viable alternative to boost the social and economic life of the human habitats in the region remains rural tourism, with its variant – agro-ecotourism, respecting the new guidelines imposed by the Administration of the Rodnei Mountains National Park, together with a montane ecological agriculture. Keywords: local agriculture, small farmers, montane agriculture, organic products, natural pastures, hay meadows, small orchards, montane pasturing, ecological agro-tourism, sustainable rural development, montane ecological agriculture. 1. GENERAL PREVIOUS CONDITION OF THE REGION’S AGRICULTURE The agriculture sector in post-1989 Romania was subject to numerous political, economical and social debates, generated by the need for some historical reparations regarding the reestablishment of the rapport between man and the property taken from him in the communist period. A special case in the communist period was that of the mountain areas, that were kept out from collectivization due to morphologic-geographical characteristics. The agricultural land (arable land and hay meadows) from these areas remained in the private possession of the former owner, while the forests and mountain pastures were confiscated by the communist state. In order to keep their land, the owners had to deliver to the state a substantial part of their production, either at no charge or, later, after 1965, as an obligatory contract with the state, which paid the land workers underpriced. For example, in 1980 the pork meat in the shop cost 40 – 45 lei/kg, while the state paid the peasants only 10 – 12 lei/kg. After 1989, the local communities from the non-collectivized mountain areas bordering the upper basin of the Someşul Mare River (extended to the present area of 1 ”Babeş-Bolyai” University, Faculty of Geography, Clinicilor Str.5-7, 400006, Cluj- Napoca, Romania, e-mail: eschuster@geografie.ubbcluj.ro Published in: Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai. Geographia, 1/2010, Presa Univeristară Clujeană, Cluj-Napoca, pp. 201-208