The development of sustainable agriculture is treated as a priority at the EU level, and the importance and role of agriculture, in general, and sustainable agriculture, in particular, is undeniable. The European Commission pushes for sustainability in agriculture in rural areas across the EU through the common agricultural policy (CAP), and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development targets becomes essential. Through our research, we aimed to investigate the status of sustainable agriculture development in EU Member States by assessing the current level of the achievement of SDG 2 targets, as well as the potential achievement of these targets by 2030. Based on data collected from Eurostat, we forecast the evolution of indicators for each country considered until 2030 using the ARIMA model and dynamic indicator analysis. The results obtained suggest, on the one hand, the existence of positive developments at the level of European countries, but also highlight a number of existing disparities, together with evidence of potentially significant deviations from the targets assumed by the 2030 Agenda.

Organic agriculture is considered an important component of sustainable development because it promotes environmental sustainability and social responsibility, involving the use of practices that minimize the negative impact of agriculture on the environment and human health. Through this research, we aim to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the current state of and perspectives on specific indicators of organic agriculture from the perspective of the SDGs assumed by EU member countries in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on Eurostat data covering the timeframe from 2008 to 2021, an ARIMA model was used to analyze the data and forecast trends in the selected indicators until 2030. The results of this unique study provide relevant information on the indicators and countries for which positive developments are expected up to 2030, as opposed to those indicators for which mixed or negative developments are forecast. The findings of this research empower policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders to identify possible negative developments and take appropriate corrective action, with the aim of achieving the goals proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The study follows and highlights the evolution of agricultural production at the level of Valcea County, in the context of the realities existing at national and regional level. In addition to the value of total agricultural production, according to existing data, its distribution by source of origin is also presented: crop production, livestock production and the agricultural services sector. For Vâlcea County, the vegetal production is predominant – 60.41% (834,420.20 thousand lei compared to 1,381,239.60 thousand lei), followed by the animal production – 39.31% (543,015.20 thousand lei) and respectively the agricultural services – 0.28% (3,804.20 thousand lei) followed. At the county level, the variation amplitude of total agricultural production was 393,078 thousand lei, a value that represented 32.70% of the minimum level of the indicator (2016) and 24.64% compared to the maximum level (2019). For vegetable production, the registered amplitude reached 339,264 thousand lei, a level that represented 50.39% of the minimum term (2015) and was lower than the maximum term (2019) by 66.49%. In the case of livestock production, the amplitude of production variation was 72,190 thousand lei, a level that represented 14.25% of the value of the minimum term (2017) and 12.48% compared to the maximum term (2019). If we refer to agricultural services, there is a variation amplitude of the indicator of 3,506 thousand lei, a value that exceeded by 49.13% the minimum level of the indicator (2016) and represented 59.86% compared to the maximum level (2015).

Rice is distinguished by its multifaceted importance: food (high nutritive value of grains), medical (used in the manufacture of medicines or treatment of certain diseases), industrial (beer, alcohol, cosmetics, paper making, craft products), feed (the by-products can be used in the feeding of animal species), crop management (recovery of the soils). Rice can be considered a species with superior productive potential, placing immediately after maize from this point of view. In Romania, varieties with a short period of vegetation are grown, due to specific climatic conditions. This paper seeks to present the evolution of rice production in Romania for the period 1989-2013, in terms of cultivated area, total production, average production, but also imports and exports of this product. For Romania, there has been a marked variation in the area (105-49,300 ha), the total production (253-70,200 t), the average production (1,263-5,426 kg/ha), the imported quantities (0-95,090 t) and exported quantities (0-48,363 t). The analysis is carried out in the context of a very variable economic and social climate, at national level, taking into account the major changes of the Romanian society related to: the change of the organization form of the national economy (transition from the centralized economy to the market economy) and Romania's accession to the EU in 2007. Romania is not an important producer of rice at European and world level, but on the basis of the existing potential for this culture, it is possible to reduce the imported quantities to cover the domestic consumption needs, as well as to better use the existing potential related to this crop.

The paper aims to highlight the aspects related to the urban infrastructure for the protected areas ROSCI0045 Jiu Corridor, Bistreț ROSPA0010 and the Drănic Fossil Place-2391 and Zaval Forest Nature Reserves – IV.33+A6, given that they group a significant number of species of plant and animal origin. These protected areas play an essential role in biodiversity conservation at the level of the 56 ATUs (37 in Dolj County, 17 in Gorj County, one in Mehedinţi County, one in Olt County), on whose territory they are located. The paper refers to the drinking water distribution network, the sewerage network and the natural gas distribution network (including adjacent aspects related to them). The area has 740 km of city streets, of which 578 km modernized, 1971.2 km drinking water network, 936.0 km sewerage network, produces about 342 thousand cubic meters of water per day, achieving a daily consumption of 19,956 cubic meters. Within the area, there are 940.2 km of pipelines for natural gas distribution (two thirds located in the urban area), which facilitated a consumption of 133,040 thousand cubic meters of gas annually. The urban infrastructure improved during 2017-2021, but certain aspects related to it need to be properly analyzed in order not to have a high negative impact on the state of the environment.

The study aims to present the situation of tourist activity for the protected areas ROSCI0045 the Jiu Corridor, ROSPA0010 Bistreț and the Natural Reserves Fossil Site Drănic-2391 and Zăval Forest - IV.33+A6, based on four indicators specific to it: tourist reception structures, tourist accommodation capacity in operation, tourist arrivals in tourist reception structures, overnight stays in tourist reception structures.The analysed indicators mainly show downward trends in 2021 compared to 2017, an aspect determined, in particular, by the pandemic phenomenon manifested in that period. The number of reception facilities decreased from 64 units in 2017 to 53 units in 2021, the accommodation capacity decreased from 963,518 to 799,089 place-days (2017 and 2021 respectively), tourist arrivals decreased from 116,992 to 72,291 people (2017 and 2021), and the number of overnight stays decreased from 215,015 to 111,582 for 2017 and 2021 respectively.