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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]

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]

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]