A Comparative Analysis Of Agricultural Sustainability And Rural Modernisation In Romania And Moldova, Examining The Challenges And Potential Development Paths

The study analyses the dynamics of rural sustainability in Romania and Moldova, focusing on the interrelations between the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of agricultural development. Using the Integrated Rural Sustainability Transition Model (IRSTM) and entropy-based composite indices, the research evaluates the evolution of rural systems over the period 2014–2023. The results reveal an asymmetric transition toward sustainability: Romania demonstrates a consolidated trajectory supported by structural modernisation and institutional integration within the European framework, while Moldova displays a more fragmented and vulnerable pattern, constrained by limited resources and structural inefficiencies. The comparative analysis highlights that economic growth alone is insufficient to ensure sustainability without improvements in ecological efficiency and social cohesion. The model’s entropy weighting confirms the robustness of the results and the internal balance between the three sustainability pillars. The findings underline the importance of coherent multi-level governance, investment in human capital and infrastructure, and the promotion of territorial innovation to enhance resilience and accelerate the sustainability transition in Eastern European rural regions.