Агро-Хранителен Гавърнанс - Същност, Елементи, Оценка И Качество В България[Agro-food governance - content, components, assessment, and quality in Bulgaria]

There are intense debates about the importance and quality of agri-food governance, which have not been passed in Bulgaria. There is no suitable translation for governance in the Bulgarian language, and many inaccurate terms are used such as managing, management, leadership, directing, regulating, regime, etc. To accurately reveal the essence of this category and avoid misunderstandings with researchers in other fields, the article uses the term governance. It adapts the methodology of the New Institutional Economics and offers a holistic framework for an adequate understanding of agri-food governance and for assessing its quality. Agri-food governance is defined as a complex system with five main components: (1) agrarian and related agents, (2) means (rules, forms, and mechanisms) that govern agents' behavior, activities, and relationships, (3) processes and activities associated with decision-making, (4) specific social order resulting from the governance process, and (5) results of the functioning of the system about the realization of sustainable development goals. To assess the quality of agri-food governance, a multidimensional hierarchical system of principles, criteria, indicators, and reference values for good governance is suggested. Based on expert and statistical data, the initial assessment of the quality of agri-food governance in Bulgaria shows that it is at an average (European) level. In terms of sustainability, the quality is at a good level, while in terms of processes, means and order, it is at a satisfactory level. The strengths of Bulgarian agri-food governance are in terms of equity and solidarity, and a well-functioning public sector, and the weaknesses in stakeholder engagement and private sector efficiency