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.

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.

Throughout this paper, the theoretical concepts from the above areas were combined with the analysis and interpretation of statistical data from the same areas of interest, resulting in a detailed analysis of how the agricultural labour force influences the yields of the five most important crops in the Romanian agricultural sector, namely, wheat, maize, sunflower, rapeseed and soybean. The analysis was carried out within the eight NUTS-listed development regions. A bibliometric analysis of the importance of the academic environment for agricultural labour force research was previously carried out using VOSviewer software. The content of this document aims to determine the impact that the agricultural labour force has on the productivity of the five main crops cultivated in Romania over large areas during the period 2015–2019, where, although the population employed in agriculture has decreased, the yields of these crops have increased due to the technological development process started in agriculture. As of 2019, only 9% of the total Romanian population is represented by the population employed in agriculture and 39.41% and 61.37% of the total area of the country are represented by arable/agricultural area, respectively.

The paper highlights the evolution of meat consumption in Romania between 2007 and 2022 based on statistical data retrieved from the National Institute of Statistics and also presents a recent 2024 diagnosis on Romanian meat consumption from field data acquired through a questionnaire survey to which 1002 people gave valid answers. For the average annual meat consumption in Romania it was found that it varies depending on the category: for beef it was a decreasing trend, for pork the trend was slightly increasing, and the consumption of mutton and goat meat had an insignificant variation. The central place in terms of meat consumption was occupied by poultry (34.78%), which had the most obvious increase. The questionnaire reflected that meat consumption is influenced by multiple factors including: age, income level, level of education, origin of meat etc. In the context of climate and geopolitical change, there is an increasing emphasis on finding alternatives for meat. The largest share of respondents to the questionnaire said that they will continue to consume meat, the rest preferring substitutes obtained from vegetables. Our results and the analysis, correlations and approaches done within this paper could serve as a basis for meat consumption patterns in Romania and may ground future marketing policies and sustainable development strategies in the food industry.