Over the time course, under the influence of social-economic reorganizations and the development of education, the organization of agronomic scientific research and academic life passed by various stages of the institutional structuring process.
The first agricultural scientific institution was founded in 1886 as the Central Agronomic Station, in 1927 becoming part of the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania.
The second half of the XIXth century and the beginning of the new century was the period which recorded the names of great forerunners in the process of agricultural education and research activity, like Ion Ionescu de la Brad, the author of the first handbook of agriculture and animal husbandry (1871), 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 and others.
The Institute of Veterinary Research – Pasteur was set up in 1895 and its perenniality and steady development can be followed within time up to the present day.
The same year, the Zootechnical Institute was organized being attached to the Department of Animal Husbandry of the Superior School of Veterinary Medicine and in 1926, the National Zootehnical Institute was set up. In 1949 it became the Institute for Zootechnical Research (IZR) in order to coordinate the scientific research stations with mixt activity, namely research work for more zootechnical species in the same unit, like Bonţida, Pădureni, Runcu, Ruşeţu, Popăuţi, Palas, Dulbanu, Mărculeşti etc.
In 1927, the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania (A.R.I.R.) was set up together with a networkof experimental zonal stations by the High Royal Decree no. 1205/04.05.1927 which stipulated its goals, responsibility and patrimony.
A.R.I.R. consisted of the following sections:
A) Section of phytogenetics and phytotechnics;
B) Section of chemistry, microbiology and agricultural physics;
C) Section of phytopathology, entomology and parasitology;
D) Section of animals husbandry necessary for agriculture;
E) Section of machines, land reclamation and rural constructions;
F) Section of rural economics.
In 1932, the law was made up stipulating the sections of the institute, their goals and patrimony, as well as the setting up in different regions of the country, of the agronomic, viticultural, horticultural, sericicultural, agricultural stations and some special stations for plants breeding. At the same time, this law, art. 9, also stipulated the land areas the Institute was endowed with the express specification:
“All lands, buildings and the whole inventory used at present by the Institute, stations and laboratories that depend on it become the entire property of the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania. The lands and buildings of the Institute are indefeasible and cannot be alienated either totally or partially”.
According to the law, A.R.I.R. sets up stations in different regions of the country for scientific research activity, implements the results obtained, guiding the farmers from the respective regions, to apply special laws regarding seeds control, the utilization of insecto-fungicides chemicals and the examination of agricultural products. The work program of the stations was set up by the Council of the Institute and the coordination of the activity was carried out by the chiefs of the scientific sections delegated for this activity.
The following years, A.R.I.R. enlarged the zonal stations network so that in 1944 it consisted of 20 stations all over the country as follows: in Oltenia: Deveselu Agricultural Experimental Station, Studina Agricultural Experimental Station, Drăgăşani Experimental Station for Viticulture and Oenology, Strehaia Experimental Station, Filiaşi Experimental Station (Tâmbureşti); in Muntenia: Hydraulic Experimental Station Pitaru-Dâmboviţa, the Agricultural Experimental Station of Bărăgan, Nicolae Filipescu (Moara Domnească) Agricultural Experimental Station, Cislău Sericicultural Station, Cazaci Sericicultural Station; in Dobrogea: Murfatlar Agricultural Experimental Station, Valu lui Traian Agricultural Experimental Station; in Banat: Cenad Agricultural Experimental Station, Orşova Experimental Station; in Transilvania: Cluj Plants Amelioration Station, Câmpia Turzii Agricultural Experimental Station; in Moldova: Iaşi Plants Amelioration Station, Tg. Frumos Agricultural Experimental Station, Fălticeni Agricultural Experimental Station, Odobeşti-Putna Oenological Station.
Consistent to the principle that: “Agronomic Science is not only the plants crop science but the science of the agricultural enterprise for the capitalization and organization of production factors: soil, plant, animal, to ensure maximum advantage and that a specialization in different branches of production, including animal husbandry, is necessary for the agricultural science benefits”, professor Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti, the director of the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania set up the Section of Animals Husbandry in this Institute in 1935. This section was going to collaborate with the other sections of A.R.I.R. and with the sections of the National Institute for Zootechny. After 14 years of activity this section was transferred to the National Zootechnic Institute (in 1949) that, with a little time before, had been reorganized under the name of the Institute of Zootechnical Research (I.Z.R.).
An important moment of Romanian agricultural research represents the founding of the Academy of Agriculture of Romania on the occasion of the General Assembly of the National Society of Agriculture on 22 May 1941, at the initiative of the ex-minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Demesnes, Constantin Garoflid, supported by I. Sichitiu, the minister of Agriculture and Demesnes in those days.
Consequently, by the Decree-Law nr. 229/13 August 1941, the Academy of Agriculture in Romania was set up. By this law it was stipulated that: “the goal of the Agricultural Academy is to contribute to the progress of scientific research in the field of agriculture, in its broadest sense, and develop the coordination and cooperation of the Romanian scientific activity and accumulation of the documentation needed to be applied in agricultural practice all over the country”.
It deserves to be remarked the advanced thinking for that epoch, the interest and desire of the ministers who led the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains, as well as the Agriculture Trade Unions to support the development of the new academic institution not only by the initiation and elaboration of the law for the Academy foundation, but also by its material support.
By Decree No. 1500/1942, the first 47 full members, founders members of the new academic institution were appointed. Among them we can mention great personalities of those times, agronomists, silvic engineers, economists, biologists, veterinary surgeons: Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti, Grigore Antipa, Constantin I.C.Brătianu, Gheorghe Cipăianu, Alexandru Ciucă, Gheorghe K. Constantinescu, Nicolae Cornăţeanu, 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 on, the
Academy succeeded to gather around it, during the short time up to the events of 1944, a lot of personalities from the research and education fields for those 9 scientific sections that represented the main branches of agriculture.
10 July 1942 represented the moment of the setting up of the Academy of Agriculture when Constantin Garoflid was elected president, Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti, Alexandru Ciucă and Aurelian Pană - vice presidents and Nicolae Săulescu - secretary general. The Academy began its activity by a number of scientific communications where problems of agriculture, organization and substantiation of some laws regarding cooperation in agriculture and scientific news were debated.
The coordination and cooperation between the Academy of Agriculture and the Research Institutes were carried out by personalities who were also members of the Academy of Agriculture and researchers of A.R.I.R. and I.Z.R. who sustained the scientific activity. The most important scientific results of A.R.I.R. and I.Z.R. were presented by this high forum and published in the Bulletin of the Academy of Agriculture of Romania. The Agricultural Academy annually conferred prizes from the Fund of Rewards of the Academy to the researchers who obtained special results.
In 1945, the Government abusively decided the dissolution of the Academy of Agriculture in Romania for “superior state reasons”, even if the Statute of the Academy stipulated that:
“The dissolution of the Academy of Agriculture can be done only by the decision of the General Assembly taken with 2/3rds majority from the total number of full members and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains”.
The economic and social transformations occurred after the Second World War as well as the exploitation of the land led to the necessity to adapt the organization of the scientific research to the new conditions. Thus, there were set up new institutes with a vast network of experimental stations to support the development of agriculture by the results of research. Beginning with 1956 the Institute of Agronomic Research in Romania was reorganized by transforming some sections into institutes of profile.
More than 100 agricultural research units, institutes and stations brought into the focus the necessity to coordinate, at the national level, the activity of research by a prestigious scientific forum to intensify the updating of the activity and remake the contacts with the agricultural farms (Agricultural State Enterprises and Agricultural Production Cooperatives) in the country and with similar institutions from abroad.
Thus in 1962 the Central Institute for Agricultural Research (C.I.A.R.) was set up by Law nr. 1/31 May 1962 having the mission to organize in an unitary way the scientific research in agriculture and promote it on a superior stage for facing the new requirements to increase the production and create a modern system to produce seeds and seedlings and to promote soil tillage on large agricultural areas. This coordination institution was organized on scientific sections with its own staff and had the mission to allocate funds for research programs by contracts and to evaluate the results of the scientific research.
According to art. 26, Law no. 1/1962, the Central Institute of Agricultural Research consisted of:
◙ The Research Institute for Cereals and Technical Plants-Fundulea founded by the transformation of the Institute of Agricultural Research that in its turn was set up by the unification of the Institute of Agronomic Researches of Romania with the Institute of Research for Maize Crop according to DMC No. 305/22 May/1961.
◙ The Research Institute for Horticulture-Viticulture (R.I.H.V.) was set up by DMC No. 2730 / 20 December 1956 by splitting the sections of pomiculture, viticulture and vegetables growing from A.R.I.R. and their transferring together with the profile stations to the newly created Institute. According to DMC no. 2380/23 September 1959, the R.I.H.V. was divided into 3 institutes: the Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti - Maracineni with the fruit growing profile stations; the Research Institute for Viticulture and Vinification - Valea Călugăreasca together with its stations for viticulture and vinification; The Institute of Vegetables and Flowers Growing - Vidra with its vegetables profile stations;
◙ The Research Institute for Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture (R.I.M.E.A.) set up by DMC No. 543/16.04.1952 from the transformation of the Station for Testing Agricultural Tools and Machines, Băneasa belonging to A.R.I.R.
◙ Section of agrarian economics;
◙ Section of pedology;
The Central Institute for Agricultural Research had under subordination:
◙ experimental stations for regional agricultural research;
◙ Central Station for Beekeeping and Sericiculture;
In 1967, The Research Institute for Potatoes and Sugar Beetwas set up in BraşovandThe Research Institute for Plants Protection in Bucharest.
By the Decree of the Ministers Council of the Socialist Republic of Romania nr. 1780/2 September 1969 regarding some measures concerning the setting up in the Superior Council for Agriculture of the Department of Lands Fund, Waters Management and Land Reclamation, it was decided that the Sector of pedology from the Research Institute for Land Reclamation and Pedology should be reorganized under the name of Research Institute for Pedology belonging to the Central Institute for Agricultural Research subordinated to the Superior Council of Agriculture.
On 14 November 1969, The Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (A.A.F.S.) was set upaccording to the Decree No. 704 / 11 October 1969.
The mission of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences was to concentrate the forces of scientific creation to coordinate the scientific activity all over the country, to efficiently capitalize the results of the research activity and respond for the organization of seed and seedlings production, animal breeding, sera and veterinary use vaccines necessary for agriculture.
The General Assembly for A.A.F.S.’ setting up approved the Statute of A.A.F.S. and the scientific research units subordinated to A.A.F.S. In the same session, a number of 117 members were elected, 17 of them as honouring members, 45 full members and 55 corresponding members.
The Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences took over into its structure and developed all fields of agricultural research in order to coordinate, organize and update the activity of scientific research according to the agriculture development goals for meeting the requirements of the intensive development of agriculture in large exploitations like A.S.E., A.P.C. and A.E.I. type (State Agricultural Enterprises, Production Agricultural Cooperatives, Agricultural Economic Enterprises).
The years that followed represented the adjustment of research goals to the newly created conditions in agriculture asking for the profound thorough research in all agricultural branches and their structuring on research programs to increase and diversify the production both in the vegetal, zootechnical and forestry sector and food industry, too.
During the period 1960-1985 new research units were created, placed under different pedoclimatic conditions, the research themes were carried out and a good endowment was achieved (laboratories with modern equipment, phytotron, zootron, outfit for experimental field), the number of researchers increased over 3500, most of them benefiting of specialization and documentary training abroad. Valuable results with practical applicability were obtained (new plant varieties and hybrids, technologies for plants cultivation and animals breeding, new sera, vaccines and medicines of veterinary use, ways for agricultural works mechanization, seeds production and breeding animals considering the national requirements level), which contributed to the quantitative and qualitative increase of the agricultural production.
The Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences had an important part in the coordination of the research activity by establishing its goals, analysing the research activity and obtained results in every scientific sections, by assuring the production of necessary quantity and quality of seeds and seedlings in order to transfer the new biologic materials into the production activity.
After 1990, the process of revitalization and reorganization of A.A.F.S. became more complex due to the diversity of the new emerging problems: sustainable development of agriculture and rural life foreground, the rebirth of A.A.F.S. by the election of new members, the research units legal statute, reassessment of the land patrimony of the research units, the carrying out of the priority research goals, adjustment of the research programs to the new supply and demand requirements, financing being under competition conditions.
In 1992 by the Government Decision no. 141, to the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences was conferred 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 has gathered around it outstanding personalities belonging to the research and education domains: Ion Apahideanu, Gheorghe Bâia, Gheorghe Bâlteanu, Teodor Bordeianu, Marcu Botzan, Gheorghe Burlacu, Matei Berindei, Petre Băniţă, Iancu Căbulea, Nichifor Ceapoiu, Gherasim Constantinescu, Nicolae Constantinescu, Nicolae Cornăţeanu, Valeriu Cotea, David Davidescu, Condrea Drăgănescu, Mircea Doucet, Iulian Drăcea, Ion Dinu, 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, Dumitru Simionescu, Irimie Staicu, Nicolae Ştefan, Ion C. Teodorescu., Stan Târlea, Vasile Taftă, Vasile Velican, Octavian Vlăduţiu, Alexandru Viorel Vrânceanu and so on.
Over the time, the leadership of A.R.I.R., C.I.A.R. and A.A.F.S. belonged to the following personalities:
- directors of A.R.I.R..: acad. Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti (1928-1948), acad. Traian Săvulescu (1948-1960), acad. Grigore Obrejanu (1961-1962).
- general directors of C.I.A.R. acad. Nicolae Giosan (1962-1966), acad. Irimie Staicu (1966-1969).
Important personalities of the Romanian scientific life succeeded as leaders of A.A.F.S., as follows:
|
Presidents |
Vice-presidents |
Secretary general |
|
Acad. Nicolae GIOSAN 14.11.1969 – 17.09.1981 |
Acad. Grigore OBREJANU 14.11.1969 – 17.09.1981 Prof. Nicolae MUNŢIU, Ph.D. 14.11.1969 - 1977 |
Acad. Mircea MOŢOC 19.11.1969 – 17.09.1981 |
|
eng. Angelo MICULESCU, Ph.D. 18.09.1981 – 4.11.1982 |
Acad. Grigore OBREJANU 18.09.1981 – 4.11.1982 eng. Ioan MOLDOVAN, Ph.D. 1979 - 1982 |
Dumitru TEACI, Ph.D.; D.Sc. 17.09.1981 – 4.11.1982 |
|
Prof. Tiberiu MUREŞAN, Ph.D. 5.11.1982 – 4.11.1993 |
Acad. Grigore OBREJANU 5.11.1982 – 1.05.1987 eng. Ioan MOLDOVAN, Ph.D. 1982 - 1986 Prof. Valentin POPOVICI, Ph.D. 1.11.1991 – 4.11.1993 eng. Nicolae SĂULESCU, Ph.D. 1.11.1991 – 1.01.1992 |
Dumitru TEACI, Ph.D.; D.Sc. 5.11.1982 – 31.10.1987 eng. Gheorghe SIN, Ph.D. 1.11.1987 – 31.08.1990 Prof. Constantin PINTILIE, Ph.D. 1.09.1990 – 1.02.1991 Tudorel BAICU, Ph.D. 10.03.1991 – 1.05.1992 Prof. Adrian PETRE, Ph.D. 1.09.1992 – 4.11.1993 |
|
eng. Corneliu RĂUŢĂ, Ph.D. 5.11.1993 – 5.11.1997 |
Gheorghe BURLACU, Ph.D. 1.03.1994 – 5.11.1997 eng. Valeriu ENESCU, Ph.D. 1.03.1994 – 5.11.1997 |
Prof. Adrian PETRE, Ph.D. 5.11.1993 – 5.11.1997 |
|
Alexandru Viorel VRÂNCEANU, Ph.D. 6.11.1997 – 5.11.2001 |
Prof. Nicolae ŞTEFAN, Ph.D. 6.11.1997 – 5.11.2001 Acad. Victor GIURGIU 6.11.1997 – 5.11.2001 |
Prof. Adrian PETRE, Ph.D. 6.11.1997 – 5.11.2001 |
|
Acad. Cristian HERA 6.11.2001 – 10.12.2009 |
Prof. Marian IANCULESCU, Ph.D. 13.12.2002 – 10.12.2009 Prof. Dumitru SIMIONESCU, Ph.D., DHC 17.03.2006 – 10.12.2009 eng. Viorel STOIAN, Ph.D. 17.03.2006 – 10.12.2009 Prof. Ioan Nicolae ALECU, Ph.D. 8.12.2005 – 10.12.2009 |
Prof. Gheorghe SIN, Ph.D. 6.11.2001 – 10.12.2009 |
|
Prof. Gheorghe SIN, Ph.D. corresponding member of the Romanian Academy 10.12.2009 – 31.12.2017 |
Prof. Dumitru SIMIONESCU, Ph.D., DHC 10.12.2009 – 12.12.2013 Prof. Ioan Nicolae ALECU, Ph.D. 10.12.2009 – 12.12.2013 Prof. Mihai I. NICOLESCU, Ph.D. 10.12.2009 – 12.12.2013 Reelected 12.12.2013 Prof. Valeriu TABĂRĂ, Ph.D., DHC 10.12.2009 – 12.12.2013 12.12.2013-31.12.2017 Dr. Ion SECELEANU 12.12.2013 – 31.12.2017 eng. Marian VERZEA, Ph.D. 12.12. 2013 – 31.12.2017 |
Prof. Marian IANCULESCU, Ph.D. 10.12.2009 – 3.05.2012 Prof. Ioan JELEV, Ph.D. 1.06.2012 – 12.12.2013 eng. Mihai C. NICOLESCU, Ph.D. 12.12.2013 – 31.12.2017 |
|
Prof. em. Valeriu TABĂRĂ, Ph.D., DHC 01.01.2018 – at present |
Prof. Ioan JELEV 01.01.2018 – at present Dr. Marian BOGOESCU 01.01.2018 - at present Prof. Dumitru MILITARU 01.01.2018 - at present Dr. Ion SECELEANU 01.01.2018 - at present |
eng. Mihai NICOLESCU, Ph.D. 01.01.2018 - at present |
Since the beginning, the members of A.A.F.S. have been deeply involved into the activity of the research units, many of them being leaders of these units or directing and carrying out research programs and projects fully contributing to the development of the scientific activity in the field as well as the training of young researchers for doctor's degree.
At present, according to its new Statute, the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences has a maximum number of 181 full and corresponding members, 40 honorary Romanian members, 90 honorary members from abroad and at most 90 associate members.
After 1989, passing by a long transition period from the centralized economy to market economy, the reconstruction of private land properties, the modification of the land exploitation techniques, the underdeveloped technical endowment, the accentuation of funds deficiency for a performing research activity, the absence of an adequate juridic statute of the research units for the new socio-economic conditions, had negative effects over the research infrastructures and research staff activity and stability. The underfinanced research activity contributed to the reduction of the research units and researchers that leads to the concentration of research activities in the institutes and stations that have the necessary potential for performance and competition.
After 2017, the research activity was revived as a result of the reorganization of the R-D-I units subordinated to A.A.F.S. by Government Decisions and resuming (recommencing) their funding from the state budget.
The new organization of A.A.F.S. and the research-development system in the fields of agriculture, forestry and food industry was legislated by Law nr. 290/2002 and Law nr. 45/2009. These laws stipulate that A.A.F.S. is the sole continuer and rightfull successor of the Agronomic Research Institute of Romania, National Institute for Zootechny, of the Academy of Agriculture of Romania and the Central Institute of Agricultural Research being reorganized into the current structure of A.A.F.S., with goals and responsibilities adequate to the present day and future requirements of the sustainable agricultural and rural environment development.
The organization of A.A.F.S. and its network of research units is presented in the following pages.