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The agri-food sector stands as a fundamental pillar of the European Union's economic framework, essential for sustaining the region's population and playing a significant role in the overall economic health and stability of the EU. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of labor productivity trends in the EU's agri-food sector over the past decade, focusing on a comparative assessment between Romania and top-performing EU economies. Using data from Eurostat and national databases, we explore the dynamics of labor productivity, considering factors such as turnover, number of enterprises, and employment levels in the agri-food industry. The research reveals significant disparities in productivity growth, with countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium showing high productivity levels, while Romania, despite a notable improvement, remains below the EU average. The study underscores the importance of strategic investments and policy interventions in boosting productivity and competitiveness in the agri-food sector across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the growing interest in sustainable agricultural practices, this study highlights a detailed bibliometric analysis regarding the intersection between sustainability and profitability in conventional and ecological farming. While the ecological farming model clearly emerges as a frontrunner in terms of sustainability, profitability assessments present challenges due to varying regional costs, lack of standardized metrics, and shortterm versus long-term value evaluations. Drawing from international sources and top-tier academic literature, the article reveals prevailing trends as well as under-researched areas in the field of agricultural research. The results indicate a clear acknowledgment of the benefits of ecological farming from a sustainability standpoint. However, the paper discusses the challenges related to assessing the profitability of these practices and identifying the most efficient strategies for supporting and expanding alternative farming systems. Thus, it underscores the imperative of a multidisciplinary perspective for deep understanding and informed action in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of rising concerns about sustainability and environmental impact, this article focuses on analyzing two remarkable agricultural systems in the South-West Oltenia Development Region: the conventional and the ecological, and emphasizes one of the foundational crops for the region, wheat. The research was derived from a comprehensive questionnaire applied on 18 farms in the South-West Oltenia region: half of them employing ecological practices and the other half using conventional methods. Our primary focus was to determine the most economically viable agricultural system for the area. Through this analysis, the article not only illustrates the evolution of this crop's production from 2020 to 2022, but also provides insights into production costs and their valorization in the market. Moreover, it underscores the importance and advantages of each agricultural system, highlighting potential long-term benefits from both economic and sustainable perspectives. To provide a solid and well-grounded analysis, statistical methods were employed, combined with data obtained fromthe questionnaire administered directly at the farm level in the region. This methodology offers a clear perspective on the profitability and efficiency of the two agricultural systems in the specific context of South-West Oltenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this article is to analyze the progression of organic farming at the European level, with emphasis on trends and changes in the cultivated area under this system. The article seeks to underscore the significance and benefits associated with organic farming, particularly in response to the detrimental effects of conventional agriculture on the environment and human health, and to provide relevant information for the promotion and adoption of sustainable practices in agriculture. In light of extensive research, agricultural experts have acknowledged the adverse environmental and health consequences of conventional agriculture over the course of several decades. Consequently, they have embraced organic farming, which draws inspiration from traditional farming methods spanning thousands of years. By employing statistical analysis and utilizing data from reputable sources, the study highlights the increasing prevalence of organic farming across Europe, specifically exploring the perspective of Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sustainable development appeared in the attempt to reconcile agri-food production with measures to conserve non-renewable resources, but also the attempt to protect the environment, and in this process the farmer has an important role given the effects that specific activities have so much on the environment. Because of this, more and more actors involved in this process, from farmers to consumers, but also politicians have begun to pay more attention to organic farming, as an advantageous means of reconciliation between man and nature. In this paper we aim to analyze the production costs recorded in six crops, both in the case of applying the conventional production system and in the case of applying the ecological system in Romania, in order to determine the profitability of those crops. The research methodology involved the use of existing data in domestic and international databases, but also data collected through the project ADER 23.1.1. Technical and economic substantiation of the production costs and estimates regarding the capitalization prices of the main vegetal and animal products, obtained in conventional system and in ecological agriculture, data that were processed, analyzed and which formed the basis for formulating conclusions. The conclusion was that sugar beet and sunflower are profitable crops both in the conventional and organic system, while rape, soybean, rice and hemp registered losses which have to be covered by subsidies. Income depends on production performance and selling price, in the both systems, and case of organic products is inversely proportional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the study is to analyze Romania's tourism in the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 and 2021, in order to quantify the gaps compared to the highest performance achieved in 2019 and in what measure tourism started to recover. Offer in terms of units with function for tourists' accommodation, their number, structure and evolution, number of places and their dynamics by accommodation type, and demand in terms of arrivals, overnight stays both at national level and in rural tourism, index of net use of accommodation capacity, incoming and outgoing tourism were the main studied indicators using fixed basis and structural indices and comparison method. Compared to 2019, in 2021 the number of accommodation units reached 9,146, being by +8.8% higher and the number of places accounted for 364.5 thousand (+2.2%). In 2020, tourist arrivals represented 47.8% and in 2021 accounted for 69.3% of the 2019 level, and the overnight stays followed a similar situation. The main destinations were the seashore, mountain and spa resorts, Romanian tourists having about 90% share in total arrivals. The pandemic was an incentive for Romanians to "Rediscover Romania" and the holiday vouchers were of much help. In a low measure, mainly in 2021, outgoing tourism to Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Maldive, Egypt exceeded the incoming tourism. The year 2021 was better than 2020, as the relaxed measures started earlier than in 2020 and tourism managers adopted flexible offers, personalized packages, last minute, early booking, free cancelation, lower tariffs, bonuses etc. The increasing trend is a hope that in 2022 tourism will have a much better dynamics and there are chances to recover! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzed rural areas in Romania from a territorial, demographic, economic, social and environment point of view in the year 2020 compared to 2011 in order to point out in what measure the gaps between rural and urban areas and EU rural areas have been reduced. The data from National Institute of Statistics and Eurostat were used in this comparison where fixed indices, structural indices, regression equations, determination coefficient helped to create an image on the changes. Rural areas keeps 89.6% of Romania's territory and 46.4% of its population, while at the EU level, the rural population accounts for only 29.1%. Rural population is aging, as 46% of people is aged of 50 and over. Depopulation caused by the negative natural movement and migration led to the decline in rural population. Rural poverty and social exclusion is higher, the EU average rate being 26%, while in Bulgaria, Malta and Romania is higher than 50%. Infrastructure regarding rural roads, water supply, sewerage and waste collection continue to be a big problem. Education level is lower, in 2020, only 17% graduates were from the rural areas, while in the EU 22% of the people aged 25-64 and 28.4% of the ones aged 30-34 have tertiary education. Rural digitalization is relatively weak as only 49% rural residents have digital skills compared to 62% in the cities. Of Romania's occupied population, 20% is in the rural areas and women accounts for 50%. About 83% of occupied population in agriculture are self employed. Salaried men in agriculture represent 3.5%, while women 1.1%, reflecting gender discrimination in total salaried population. Labor productivity in agriculture is small, just 20% of the national level. Per 1,000 AWU, labor productivity in Romania is the smallest in the EU. The rural average monthly income represents 64% of the income level in the urban areas and its growth rate is smaller. Agriculturists have the smallest income. Climate change diminished agricultural output and gross value added in Romania, and also the contribution to the EU. GDP/capita in rural Romania accounts for Euro 13,000, representing 65% of the EU average reflecting the gap in economic development and living standard. National Strategic Plan 2021-2027, whose implementation will involve the local authorities, is expected to transform rural areas in a resilient and diversified eco-system supplying agro-food products for ensuring food safety, in a consolidated economic and social sector using new knowledge, innovation and digitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzed the use of pesticides in Romania in the period 2007-2020, based on the official statistical data by type of pesticide, at the national and territorial level, and using fixed and structural indices, concentration indices and time and spatial comparisons. In the year 2020, pesticides were applied on larger surfaces than in 2007 and they accounted for 3.88 million ha for herbicides, 2.39 million ha for fungicides, and 2.34 million ha for insecticides. But, the total consumption decreased by 26% for insecticides and by 23% for herbicides, but it increased by 8.2% in case of fungicides. The national mean consumption of pesticides per ha declined and in 2020 accounted for 0.27 kg a.s. insecticide, 0.75 kg herbicide and 0.76 kg fungicide. Romania comes on the last position in the EU for the smallest average consumption 0.8 kg a.s. pesticide per ha and also for the risk indicator 1 equal to 48. The largest areas where pesticides are applied in the territory are in South Muntenia, West, South East and South West Oltenia micro-regions. Total consumption differs from a region to another as follows: insecticides are much more consumed in South West Oltenia, South Muntenia, North East, South East and West, fungicides are especially applied in South East, North East, Center and West, and herbicides are predominantly utilized in North East, South East, North West, South West Oltenia, and West. The average consumption per ha, over the national mean, is higher in the following regions: insecticides in North West, South West Oltenia, Center and North West, fungicides in the Center, Bucharest-Ilfov, South East and North East and herbicides in North East, North West and Center regions. The values of the concentration indices Herfindahl-Hirschman, Gini-Struck and Concentration coefficient proved that in 2020, Romania was characterized by a relative moderate concentration of the use of pesticides. As a conclusion, pesticides have to be used taking into consideration the local conditions at the regional level and at farm level. Farmers have to evaluate the problems and make the best decision regarding what type of pesticide to use, on what surface, which is the suitable dose per ha, how many treatments are required etc. The EU regulations regarding pesticides imposes a strict control and use of the approved pesticides for compiling with the European the Green Deal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzed labor productivity in Romania's agriculture in the period 2011-2020 and established the forecast for 2021-2025 horizon using the Eurostat data. The processing procedures included fixed basis index, average growth rate, average annual growth, regression models, determination coefficient, descriptive statistics (mean standard deviation and variation coefficient), comparison methods and forecast modeling. The results proved that agriculture productivity is increasing with a lower growth rate, being deeply influenced on output value, gross value added and labour input. Per 1,000 AWU, agricultural output value decreased by 6.77%, gross value added increased by 12.47% and factor income raised by 20.65%. However, for its level of output value and GVA, Romania comes on the last position and for factor income level it comes on the 15th position in the EU. For agriculture development, labour productivity must be increased paying attention to the key determinants: farm structure and size, labour input, technical endowment, and investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we set out to analyze the need to monitor the "water footprint", starting from the fact that water is an indispensable resource for the development of life, and its lack is one of the biggest problems facing the world today, one of the biggest concerns and, at the same time, one of the biggest challenges. Water scarcity is a risk both for the economy and for communities and ecosystems, being influenced by climate change, but also by the irresponsible behaviour of people. Finding solutions to protect this resource is a concern of the modern world in trying to protect sustainable development. The research methodology involved the analysis of the literature, data collection and processing, formulating opinions and conclusions on how to apply smart development principles to find viable solutions to reduce the "water footprint". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzed the ewes and goats contribution to the amount of raw milk marketed to milk processing industry in the period 2009-2018 and set up the forecast for the 2019-2023 horizon, using the empirical data provided by the National Institute of Statistics and using the fixed basis index, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and T test of significance, linear regressions, determination coefficient and average annual gain. An increased number of ewes and goats by 9.9% and, respectively by 60.7% was achieved in 2018 versus 2009. This led to a higher contribution of these categories of animals, 2.17% in case of ewes and 1.39% in case of goats in raw milk amount sold to dairies in 2018. A string and positive relationship was found between the number of ewes and goats and the amount of raw marketed milk, r = 0.856 and, respectively, r = 0.771. This was also attested by the regression models which reflected that the increase by one unit of the ewes' number will led to a surplus of 14.344 raw milk, and by an increase with one unit of the goats' number will result 38.698 gain collected milk. In 2023, it is estimated that raw milk delivered from ewes will reach 31,016.5 tons, and raw goat milk sold will accounts for 20,200 tons. To increase their incomes from delivered milk, sheep and goat farmers have to grow the female livestock by improving breed structure, reproduction performance, feeding and milk quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the economy of a country, but any event with negative connotations such as the appearance of epidemics, terrorist attacks, economic or social instability influences the activity in this sector. In the context of the current crisis triggered by the onset of coronavirus (COVID - 19) and based on past experiences, in this paper we intend to analyse how in the last 20 years, different epidemics have contributed to reducing tourism in the affected areas and to economic losses important. The paper tests by empirical analyses based on the data published in different international databases, as well as by a quantitative analysis how the appearance of epidemics influences the tourism in both the affected areas, as well as worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romania, rural tourism and agro-tourism were practiced in an unorganized way until 1989, as tourists sought a cheaper accommodation compared to the standard accommodation units. Since 1989, gamma services have been improved, so more homes for locals have been opened for tourists. Hence the need for an organization of accommodation, homologation and classification, and the first forms of organized rural tourism appeared in the Rucăr-Bran area, with the establishment of ANTREC, which was then developed at national level. As a result of these changes, as well as the tendency to improve and modernize the tourist activities carried out in rural areas, rural tourism and agrotourism have started to occupy an important place in the Romanian tourist offer, representing for the eager ones an attractive alternative in view leisure time. As a result of the development of legislation, rural tourism and agritourism have seen a significant development, increasingly aligning with European standards in this area. In this paper we propose to analyze the situation of the tourist and agro-touristic pensions situated in the largest development region in Romania, the North East Region, which has a rich history and tradition and whose tourism development could contribute to the economic growth of the area, representing at the same time a means of promoting Romania and its rich traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term globalization is one that is increasingly used in all areas. But studies show that when it comes to tourism, globalization is the element that has most influenced the development of this sector. Through tourism, there is the possibility of recreation, sports, rehabilitation, business, religious, scientific and intellectual: new experiences, perceptions and knowledge. In this way, modern tourism becomes a mass tourist. In this paper we intend to analyze how globalization, the advantages offered by it have influenced the arrivals and departures of tourists in Romania, but also beyond its borders, in the period 2014-2018. The research methodology was based on the study of the bibliographic sources and on the use of the information provided by the statistical data, data that have been processed, analyzed and interpreted in order to highlight the way tourism has evolved during these years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2007, the moment of Romania's integration into the European Union, was the beginning of a new era of the agriculture economy of our country. In this framework, the Romanian agriculture must quickly conform and to adopt to the European Union's agricultural measures and political (Common Agricultural Policy). The present study describes the evolution of agricultural holdings since 2007 after integration into the European Union, till present because the integration was and still is a powerful pressure factor for the rapid reform of the Romanian agriculture. Oltenia region is a significant agricultural region in Romania and is one of the most sensitive regions of the country in terms of extreme weather combined with the natural and socio-economic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romania, as a socio-economic phenomenon, tourism is included in the unitary economy of the country. Thus, tourism is becoming a major coordinated civilization society. In the European Union and tourism is considered an important industry who knows the great potential for future development. The working methods used are based on a statistical analysis and the material consists of a database provided by Eurostat that reflects the situation in the 28 countries of the European Union. Tourism statistics are not only used to monitor EU tourism policies but also EU regional policy and sustainable development policy. The forecasts for the coming years, the assessment of factors permanent optimistic tourism sector remaining the fastest pace of development. In the theoretical context of regional science, with its many disciplines and practical, determined by the economic and social role of tourism at European and national level, in this paper we approached the regional tourism development in the EU Member States, giving more importance to Romanian tourism. The study shows that the approach of tourism development in the European Union enjoys a lot of interest from the researchers, from many points of view: theoretical and applicative, in the aspects of planning and tourism development, regional, quantitative through modelling and prognosis, qualitatively through structural analyses on history, dynamics, trends, tourist flows, destinations and forms of tourism, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We live in a world where globalization is increasingly spoken about and its role in the development of humanity, where local economies and social groups have become the exponents of a dynamic system, being interconnected through communications, transport and commerce. All these elements have made humanity a very complex system, but vulnerable due to the economic, technological, socio-cultural, political and biological factors that contributed to the emergence of asymmetric threats to global security. One of these threats is terrorism. This paper proposes an analysis of the effects that terrorist attacks have had on the European Union tourism, given the large and increasing number of these attacks. Tourism offers the opportunity to visit, discover, know, observe how other civilizations live, is an important engine of the economy, but at the same time it is very sensitive to events that can affect personal safety. Thus, after taking over the statistical data on tourist traffic, data provided by Eurostat and the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest, we analyzed and interpreted this information, which gave us some conclusions regarding the way in which the terrorist attacks affected the personal safety of tourists and how they influenced their choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world governed by the rules of the market economy, the importance of information and of their handling in the decision making process is continuously growing. This is a result of using the creative accounting as a method of "grooming" the accounting information.The need for information is growing and data have to be offered faster and to be more diversified. In this context, the accountant has to make available to the decision-makers the necessary information without waiting for standard-setting, thus the call for finding creative solutions that offer advantages to companies, under the conditions laid down by law. These solutions are varied, but all of them try to change the image of the results of a company. The creative accounting becomes a necessary management tool and it is used in order to promote the image of a company. Therefore, a selection of information is necessary in order to pursue its legitimate interests. This paper intends to analyse the creative accounting techniques and the ways in which it can impact the information included in the financial statements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis performed and presented in this paper is based on an agricultural business in the Călărași County, namely S.C. Auger Petrus S.R.L. The basic activity of the company is represented by cultivating cereals ecologically, on an area of 700 ha of wheat, maize, sunflower, peas, lucerne, etc. The analysed company expanded its ecologically cultivated area by purchasing new land, as well as by leasing new areas of land. Also, the company has its own silo made up of three units with a capacity of 3,000 metric tons each, a laboratory where to analyse the cereals on entering and leaving the silo, as well as good technical equipment, namely: tractors, combine harvesters, seeders, agricultural combiners, plows, trailers, irrigation pumping station. From the data processed and presented in the company's financial balance, we noticed the evolution of the efficiency level correlated with strategies employed by the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological agriculture is a developing sector in Romania, the farms' profitability depending directly on their physical and economic size. Large ecological farms are fewer in this sector, but due to their size they succeed in dealing better with high investments costs and in managing more effectively the process of production, animal husbandry or crop cultivation. The methodology used in this paper is based on the data gathered from an agricultural business of 750 hectares in the southern part of Romania and includes calculations specific to economic-financial rate of return, starting from the company's economic outturn account. The analysis performed and presented in this paper contributes to increasing the knowledge and importance of the information provided by this ecological farm's economic-financial rate of return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]