Rural Romania faces many problems, the main one being depopulation. In general, young adults frequently choose to migrate to urban centers or leave the country entirely to satisfy economic and/or social aspirations. The aim of this study is to identify intractable issues that inhibit rural development and to identify actionable solutions. In this regard, a questionnaire was developed and administered at the local level. The results obtained were analyzed with the SPSS Statistical Program, with the Pearson Chi-square, and Cramer and Pearson coefficients were determined. The answers obtained from applying the questionnaire made it possible to identify the causes that inhibit the sustainable development of rural areas. It can be considered that a solution that could lead to the sustainable development of the rural areas from Romania would be represented by the development of a digital tool that would create a synergy between local authorities, researchers and the private sector. In order to be able to solve these problems, the Government of Romania should provide the necessary funds to local authorities, depending on the needs identified through the digital instrument, acting directly on the aspects that restrain the development of those areas.

Agriculture is a fundamental aspect of our society, providing food and resources for a growing population. However, climate change is putting this sector at risk through rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Our study highlights the need to address climate change in a differentiated way, taking into account the specificities of each agricultural sector, and therefore aims not only to organise and summarise current research but also to fill an important gap in the existing literature by focusing on the impact of climate change on vegetable crops. The topic was researched using the Web of Science and Scopus databases, where 219 publications were thoroughly reviewed and only those that fully addressed the impact of climate change on vegetable crops were selected. Of the 219 publications reviewed, only 53 focused exclusively on the effects of climate change on vegetable crops, indicating the need for more specialised research in this area, especially given the complex challenges that climate change poses not only in terms of yield but also non-trivial quality and food safety, and can be considered a future research prospect.

The rural area is a basic component from a socio-economic point of view, being closely linked to the activities that take place in these areas. Normally, Romanian rural localities should show significant differences from one development region to another, being influenced by a number of factors (geographical positioning, the influence of agriculture in the economy, etc.). In this sense, data were collected from the town halls of the localities from Calarasi and Timis counties. The analyzed data were processed by the linear regression method, and the estimation of the evolution of the population was determined using the Vensim simulation program. The paper identifies a pattern in rural localities in Romania that hinders their development, reflected by various socio-economic indicators available in the analyzed localities. The main factor that can change this pattern in rural localities is the influence of local and national decision-makers, who can encourage investment in these areas either through the development of local and national infrastructure or through fiscal measures that encourage the development of quality non-agricultural activities that can generate financial resources and jobs at the local level. Moreover, it is not only the low number of non-agricultural activities that is causing the poor development of rural areas, but rather the low number of economic operators in general and the quality of these types of activities, which in most cases do not have the capacity to create new jobs.

The aspects highlighted in this paper refer to the application of fertilizers and plant protection products to the wheat crop, and their impact on total production, competitiveness in export markets, price optimization as a result of increased harvest quality, and not least row, ensuring farmers’ incomes. The present analysis concerned the areas cultivated with wheat, and the productions achieved in relation to the quantities of fertilizers and protection products used in wheat cultivation, in Romania, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland and the UK. The analysis highlighted that, the average productions are influenced both by the technology used, by the fertilization and treatments applied, as well as by other synergistic factors that intervene in wheat crops. In countries such as Spain and Italy, the correlation between the amounts of N (nitrogen), P₂O₅ (phosphorus), K₂O (potassium) and the average production of wheat is insignificant, but in Romania and Hungary, there is a strong, direct connection between the number of fertilizers used and the average wheat crop yield. In Romania and Hungary, there is a very significant connection, but the production link average with pesticides is negative, while in Germany, the correlation is direct and quite intense for all types of fertilizers used, while the use of pesticides has a lower influence on average wheat production. In this study, we also applied a multiple regression model; in which the dependent variable was the average yield of wheat per ha and the independent variables were the average quantity of pesticides and fertilizers used. We used the “t Stat” values for each coefficient to determine whether the coefficient is equal to zero; where a high value of “t Stat”, greater than 2; indicates the fact that the coefficient is significantly different from the value zero. The “p-value” for each coefficient indicates the probability that the coefficient has the value zero. A value below the significance level of 5% results in a coefficient significantly different from zero and with an impact on the dependent variable. The use of fertilizers on wheat crops has a synergistic effect as shown by the multiple linear regression analysis which demonstrated a strong direct relationship, particularly with the amount of N, K₂O and P₂O₅ applied.

A family farm is an important part of the countryside, both economically and especially socially. In recent years, legislative measures have encouraged the development of large farms, ensuring food security while neglecting family farms, which are characterised by a lack of organisation, the absence of proper classification and the absence of measures to encourage their development and protection. In order to identify the premises underlying the development of family farms, and to create a development model for those family farms in a poor economic situation, the BMC method and SWOT analysis of seven family farms considered successful models were used. The development of these types of farms could provide a solution to a major problem facing the Romanian countryside: the depopulation of rural areas. The results of the study show that the development of these types of farms is based on joining an associative form (cooperatives) and/or making investments in the processing/storage line of agricultural products.

The study analyzes the awareness of the effects of climate change on agriculture and the measures that should be implemented in this regard from the farmer’s perspective, taking into account the financial and promotional measures supported by the European Union for farmers. Thus, the study tracks the level of openness of farmers to implementing the measures that European policy makers will take in the coming period. Taking into account the fact that agriculture plays a particularly important economic role, due to the share of agricultural products in Romania’s total exports, particularly in plant production, a quantitative survey was carried out among Romanian farmers, using a questionnaire as an instrument, with a total of 407 respondents. The farmers interviewed undoubtedly recognize that the problems they face are caused by the effects of climate change and are willing to adapt, seek and implement the necessary solutions. The most problematic climatic phenomenon identified by farmers (71.5%) is drought, with negative effects on their activity. At the same time, 54.15% of the respondents believe that the effects of climate change are affecting their business through lower yields. Although the farmers interviewed are willing to implement solutions to combat climate effects, 80.34% of them are not considering revising cropping patterns, giving more importance to market demand than to practices that protect the environment. In conclusion, as long as farmers feel and understand the effects of climate change, it cannot be a myth, especially if they are willing to adapt to these challenges.