The present research aims to establish the impact that the current crisis situation the planet is facing, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, has had so far on the Romanian labor force market. In this context, given the lack of information and information regarding this pandemic and its effects, the administration of a questionnaire among the population was considered to identify the research results. The method of semantic differential and the method of ordering the ranks were used for the interpretation of the results. With the help of this questionnaire, it will be possible to answer the question of the research in this study: What are the main effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Romanian labor market? The main results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Romanian workforce; the respondents of the applied questionnaire claimed that they obtained better results and maintained a similar income, but the health crisis also influenced the mentality of employees, with respondents stating that in the event of changing jobs, they would consider it very important for the new employer to ensure the conditions for preventing and combating COVID-19, as well as complex health insurance. However, analyzing at the macroeconomic level, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic induced an increase in the number of unemployed people in the Romanian labor market.

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 profitability of dairy farms is a broadly addressed issue in research, for different farming systems and even more so now, when it comes to the issue of sustainability in different agricultural fields. The present study presents an evaluation of the relations used for the determination of profitability of various categories of dairy farms, in terms of size, geographical area, and total milk production. In order to analyze the associated influence exerted on the level of profitability by the selected technical and economic indicators, regression functions were applied. The TableCurve program was used to determine the ideal equation that describes the data entered in a two- or three-dimensional representation. The research results showed that the size of farms and the level and value of milk production are directly correlated with profitability, and the unit cost is inversely correlated with it.

The behavior of vegetable consumption in the context of sustainable development has become a point of interest. Determining the barriers and the drivers for developing a sustainable consumption pattern, including food, should be a priority for every nation, as so to be able to design targeted food policies that would contribute to this development. Reducing the pressure on resources by diminishing meat consumption and increasing vegetable consumption is one of the global directions that should be followed. The situation of the current status of vegetable consumption in Romania is, therefore, important. Through an empirical quantitative analysis, the vegetable consumption pattern of Romanian consumers is presented. The results show that the respondents lack proper environmental education and concern, but unconsciously are aware of sustainability criteria such as choosing local and seasonal vegetables, choosing according to the freshness of the vegetables, and wasting little of these purchases. The main barriers determined in developing more sustainable vegetable choices in the case of Romanian consumers are income and time availability restrictions. It is also important to have the ability to identify the local, seasonal, and organic vegetables through specific labels, and to provide the local producers with the ability to sell their products in supermarkets, at fair prices. These would be the main drivers for developing a sustainable vegetable choice. Adding to that, an awareness campaign at the national level regarding the importance of individual choice would contribute to educating towards a sustainable purchasing pattern.

This paper aims to identify the export competitiveness of agri-food products at the level of the European Union Member States, considering indicators/elements belonging to technical innovation (technical complexity) as well as qualitative elements. The main research problem is to examine the differences in the technical complexity of agri-food exports (EXPY) between EU Member States. Through detailed analysis of product categories and Member States’ performance, we have identified significant differences in the technical complexity of exports. Products such as dairy, meat, cereal and vegetable preparations were associated with high technical complexity, while fruit, tobacco and oils were classified in the low technical complexity category. We also identified Member States with exports characterised by high technical complexity, including Cyprus, Ireland and Luxembourg, and those with low technical complexity, such as Slovakia, Latvia and Croatia. These findings suggest the influence of various factors, such as economic specialisation, natural resources and R&D investment on shaping the agri-food export landscape in the European Union. In-depth analysis of these issues provides significant insights for understanding the economic and technical dynamics in the European agri-food sector.

Organic farming is an important objective of the European Commission, translated into the European Green Pact through the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy, with EU member countries having to find solutions to meet the target of at least 25% of agricultural land being used for organic cultivation by 2030. The aim for Romania can be achieved by modelling the distribution of crops in terms of cultivated areas and production yields obtained in organic and conventional systems according to the population size. Applying quantitative and qualitative analysis of EUROSTAT data for the above-mentioned indicators, the geomean function, linear programming, and the simplex method were used, depending on the set objectives. To demonstrate that organic farming can be sustainable and in line with the three pillars of sustainability, economic, social and environmental, we related the agricultural area to the population of Romania to highlight the average annual growth rate for the 2020–2030 tine horizon. The results showed an increase in agricultural area per capita of 0.708 ha (4.91%), compared to 0.69 ha as the average for the period 2012–2020, which correlated with organic production yields 32% lower than conventional agriculture. Through modelling, the reduction in organic farm yield was found to be less than or equal to the increase in area per capita, thus reaching the proposed target. The results of this study have long-term implications for supporting the transition to organic farming in the sense that the study argues that reaching the target of 25% of agricultural land that can enter organic farming is in line with the sustainability trilogy. The approach used can be followed and replicated according to national agricultural policies.