0 [Type here] Irrigation in Africa in figures - AQUASTAT Survey - 2016 Country profile – Republic of Moldova Version 2015 Recommended citation: FAO. 2015. AQUASTAT Country Profile – Republic of Moldova. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Rome, Italy The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. 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FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/ publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. © FAO 2015 1 Republic of Moldova GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE AND POPULATION Geography The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a total area of 33 850 km2. It is bordered in the west by Romania and in the north, east and south by Ukraine. It became independent in 1991. For administrative purposes, the Republic of Moldova is divided into: . 32 raions . 3 municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau . 1 autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia . 1 territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului (Transnistria) The 32 raions and Balti municipality are divided in 3 development regions: North, Centre, South. The northern part of the country belongs to the Podole highland and the southern part to the Black Sea lowland. The average altitude is 147 m above sea level. The highest peak is 428 m above sea level on the Balanesti hill and 75 percent of the country lies below an altitude of 200 m. The agricultural area, which is the sum of arable land, permanent crops and permanent meadows and pasture, is estimated at 2.5 million ha, which is 73 percent of the total area of the country. In 2014, the total physical cultivated area was estimated at 2.1 million ha, of which 86 percent (1.8 million ha) consisted of temporary crops and 14 percent (0.3 million ha) of permanent crops (Table 1). Climate The average annual precipitation is estimated at 450 mm. Two climatological zones can be distinguished: . The semi-arid and warm zone of steppe, covering the south of the country (45 percent). The average annual precipitation varies from 370 mm in the extreme south to 450 mm in the southern part of the Nistru (Dniester) valley, concentrated between May and October. Average temperatures vary between -3 °C in January and 22 °C in July. The moderately warm zone of forested steppe, covering the northern and central parts of the country (55 percent). The average annual precipitation varies from 420 mm in the central part to 550 mm in the north, concentrated between May and October with the peak in June or July. Average temperatures vary between -4.5 °C in January and 20.5 °C in July. 2 Irrigation in Eastern Europe in figures - AQUASTAT Survey - 2015 FIGURE 1 Map of Republic of Moldova Republic of Moldova 3 TABLE 1 Basic statistics and population Physical areas: Area of the country 2013 3 385 000 ha Agricultural land (permanent meadows and pasture + cultivated land) 2013 2 461 000 ha As % of the total area of the country 2013 73 % Permanent meadows and pasture 2013 350 000 ha Cultivated area (arable land + area under permanent crops) 2013 2 111 000 ha - As % of the total area of the country 2013 62 % - Arable land (temp. crops + temp. fallow + temp. meadows) 2013 1 816 000 ha - Area under permanent crops 2013 295 000 ha Population: Total population 2015 4 069 000 inhabitants - Of which rural 2015 62 % Population density 2015 120 inhabitants/km2 Economy and development: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (current US$) 2014 7 944 million US$/year Value added in agriculture (% of GDP) 2014 15 % GDP per capita 2014 1 951 US$/year Human Development Index (highest = 1) 2014 0.693 - Gender Inequality Index (equality = 0, inequality = 1) 2014 0.248 - Access to improved drinking water sources: Total population 2015 88 % Urban population 2015 97 % Rural population 2015 81 % Population In 2015, the total population was about 4.1 million, of which around 62 percent was rural (Table 1). Population density is 120 inhabitants/km². The average annual population growth rate in the 2005-2015 period has been estimated at minus 0.2 percent. In 2014, the Human Development Index (HDI) ranks the country 107 among 188 countries and the Gender Inequality Index (GII) ranks it 50 among 155 countries, for which information is available. Life expectancy is 69 years and the under-five mortality is 16 per 1000 births, both progressing from 67 years and 38 per 1000 in the 1990s. With no significant distinction between boys and girls, around 88 percent of the children in 2013 are enrolled in primary education, and 77 percent for secondary education (World Bank, 2015). Adult literacy is 99 percent in 2012 period (UNDP, 2015). In 2015, 88 percent of the total population had access to improved water sources (97 and 81 percent in urban and rural areas respectively) and 76 percent of the total population had access to improved sanitation (88 and 67 percent in urban and rural areas respectively) (JMP, 2015). ECONOMY, AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY In 2014, the gross domestic product (GDP) was US$ 7 944 million and agriculture accounted for 15 percent of GDP, while in 2004 it accounted for 20 percent. Agriculture has traditionally been a major component of the Moldovan economy. In the Soviet era, the country produced 40 percent of the Soviet Union’s tobacco, 10 percent of its fruits and 5 percent of its vegetables, while it represented only 0.15 percent of the total area of the Soviet Union. However, the breakdown of collective and state farms due to the independence had a negative consequence for growth in the agricultural sector (World Bank, 2010). Main annual crops now are maize, wheat, sunflowers and barley. Vineyards and fruit trees are the main perennial crops (World Bank, 2010). 4 Irrigation in Eastern Europe in figures - AQUASTAT Survey - 2015 The country’s location makes it prone to marked changes in weather conditions, resulting in fluctuating agricultural production. The agricultural potential is concentrated in two regions: . the north, with the rich black soils and the fertile Nistru river valley; . the south, with its calcium soils (carbonate black soils) and warm climate, which make it particularly suitable for irrigated vineyards, as well as for peach and apricot orchards. WATER RESOURCES Surface water and groundwater resources The hydrographic net of Republic of Moldova is represented trough 3 621 rivers. The country can be divided into three main river basins, all of them part of the Black Sea basin: . The Nistru (called Dniester in Ukraine) basin in the east covers about 57 percent of the country. The Nistru rises in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine and forms the border between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in parts of the north, northeast and southeast before flowing back into Ukraine, where it continues for some 20 km before reaching the Black Sea with an average annual discharge of 10 km3. The Nistru has a total length of 1 352 km of which 660 km are on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The main affluents of the Nistru river in Republic of Moldova are the Botna river (152 km), the Bic river (155 km) and the Reut river (286 km). The Danube basin in the west covers about 35 percent of the country. The Prut river, a tributary of the Danube, rises in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine and forms the border between the Republic of Moldova and Romania before flowing into the Danube just after crossing the border into Ukraine. The Danube river then continues for about 125 km before flowing into the Black Sea. Where the Prut river becomes the border between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, its average annual flow is estimated at 2.9 km3. The Prut has a total length of 967 km of which 695 km are on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. There are a number of small seasonal tributaries of the Danube in southern Republic of Moldova that flow into the Danube after having crossed the border to Ukraine. The southern basins in the south of the country, between the Nistru and the Danube basins, several other rivers rise and flow across the border into Ukraine and then into the Black Sea. Their basins cover about 8 percent of the country. The total IRSWR are estimated at 1 320 million m3/year (Table 2).