IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i20p14793-d1258317.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Trends of Major Agricultural Crops in Romania Using Interactive Geographic Information System Mapping

Author

Listed:
  • Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa

    (Geography Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Craiova, 13 A. I. Cuza Street, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

  • Amalia Niță

    (Geography Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Craiova, 13 A. I. Cuza Street, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

  • Mirela Mazilu

    (Geography Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Craiova, 13 A. I. Cuza Street, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

  • Gheorghe Curcan

    (Geography Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Craiova, 13 A. I. Cuza Street, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

Abstract

This research study presents the spatio-temporal distribution of the main agricultural crops in Romania using a modern digitalisation technique, namely interactive GIS mapping. Interactive GIS mapping includes various features specific to the development of sustainable Romanian agriculture, including the arable area of Romania, information on the area (hectares) cultivated with corn, wheat, sunflower, and rape during the 1990–2018 period, the degree of mechanisation, the number of tractors, and information regarding the landforms, a natural factor in relation to cultivated surfaces. Agricultural land should be properly used based on its ability to meet the demands of consumers of traditional Romanian products with an ecological label, but also the needs of the local population, and, at the same time, to ensure the sustainability of the natural environment through the practice of ecological agriculture. The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the current state of the main agricultural crops in Romania. From a theoretical but also practical point of view, this research presents, for the first time, a retrospective analysis of each county in Romania in terms of the geospatial distribution of major agricultural crops using interactive GIS mapping. Geospatial data were processed in ArcGIS Geographic Information System 10.7.2. The results of this study show that the most extensive cereal areas at the county level in Romania are corn and wheat. The largest areas cultivated with corn and wheat in 2018 were recorded in the Western Plain, the Romanian Plain, and the Moldavian Plateau. For wheat, increases were also recorded in the Dobrogea Plateau. The intensification of labour productivity and the promotion of the sustainability of the natural environment in Romania is presented through the main indicator (the number of tractors) of the degree of mechanisation of agriculture. The higher values of this indicator are in the counties of Bihor, Timiș, and Maramureș. Limitations in Romania’s agricultural data present substantial challenges to the sector’s development and sustainability. Addressing these challenges is essential for informed decision making, policy formulation, and effective resource allocation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa & Amalia Niță & Mirela Mazilu & Gheorghe Curcan, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Trends of Major Agricultural Crops in Romania Using Interactive Geographic Information System Mapping," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:20:p:14793-:d:1258317
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/20/14793/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/20/14793/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marta Guth & Katarzyna Smędzik-Ambroży & Bazyli Czyżewski & Sebastian Stępień, 2020. "The Economic Sustainability of Farms under Common Agricultural Policy in the European Union Countries," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Nils-Magnus Wasser & Philipp Ruhstorfer & Björn-Martin Kurzrock, 2020. "Advancing Revolving Funds for the Sustainable Development of Rural Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Marcello Stanco & Concetta Nazzaro & Marco Lerro & Giuseppe Marotta, 2020. "Sustainable Collective Innovation in the Agri-Food Value Chain: The Case of the “Aureo” Wheat Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-14, July.
    4. Monica Laura Zlati & Andrei Mirel Florea & Valentin Marian Antohi & Marius Sorin Dinca & Florentin Bercu & Costinela Fortea & Stanciu Silvius, 2023. "Financing Romanian Agricultural Cooperatives’ Investments for the 2023–2027 Horizon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-28, January.
    5. Silvia Ștefania Maican & Andreea Cipriana Muntean & Carmen Adina Paștiu & Sebastian Stępień & Jan Polcyn & Iulian Bogdan Dobra & Mălina Dârja & Claudia Olimpia Moisă, 2021. "Motivational Factors, Job Satisfaction, and Economic Performance in Romanian Small Farms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-23, May.
    6. Agnieszka Kurdyś-Kujawska & Agnieszka Strzelecka & Danuta Zawadzka, 2021. "The Impact of Crop Diversification on the Economic Efficiency of Small Farms in Poland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-21, March.
    7. Xiaofu Chen & Chang Liu & Xiaohua Yu, 2022. "Urbanization, Economic Development, and Ecological Environment: Evidence from Provincial Panel Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-15, January.
    8. Maria G. Lampridi & Claus G. Sørensen & Dionysis Bochtis, 2019. "Agricultural Sustainability: A Review of Concepts and Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-27, September.
    9. Gordana Radović & Marko D. Petrović & Dunja Demirović Bajrami & Milan Radovanović & Natalia Vuković, 2020. "Can Proper Funding Enhance Sustainable Tourism in Rural Settings? Evidence from a Developing Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-16, September.
    10. Radu Lucian Pânzaru & Daniela Firoiu & George H. Ionescu & Andi Ciobanu & Dragoș Mihai Medelete & Ramona Pîrvu, 2023. "Organic Agriculture in the Context of 2030 Agenda Implementation in European Union Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-31, July.
    11. Tiberiu Iancu & Ionuț Laurențiu Petre & Valentina Constanta Tudor & Marius Mihai Micu & Ana Ursu & Florina-Ruxandra Teodorescu & Eduard Alexandru Dumitru, 2022. "A Difficult Pattern to Change in Romania, the Perspective of Socio-Economic Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-29, February.
    12. John M. Polimeni & Raluca I. Iorgulescu & Lucian Liviu Albu & Andrei Ionica, 2022. "Romanian Farmers’ Markets: Understanding the Environmental Attitudes of Farmers as an Instrument for Bioeconomy Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-20, September.
    13. Andy Felix Jităreanu & Mioara Mihăilă & Alexandru-Dragoș Robu & Florin-Daniel Lipșa & Carmen Luiza Costuleanu, 2022. "Dynamic of Ecological Agriculture Certification in Romania Facing the EU Organic Action Plan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, September.
    14. Carmen-Mihaela Cretu & Anca-Gabriela Turtureanu & Carmen-Gabriela Sirbu & Florentina Chitu & Emanuel Ştefan Marinescu & Laurentiu-Gabriel Talaghir & Daniela Monica Robu, 2021. "Tourists’ Perceptions Regarding Traveling for Recreational or Leisure Purposes in Times of Health Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.
    15. Wangda Liao & Fusheng Zeng & Meseret Chanieabate, 2022. "Mechanization of Small-Scale Agriculture in China: Lessons for Enhancing Smallholder Access to Agricultural Machinery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-21, June.
    16. Violeta Radulescu & Iuliana Cetina & Anca Francisca Cruceru & Dumitru Goldbach, 2021. "Consumers’ Attitude and Intention towards Organic Fruits and Vegetables: Empirical Study on Romanian Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-14, August.
    17. Sarah Velten & Julia Leventon & Nicolas Jager & Jens Newig, 2015. "What Is Sustainable Agriculture? A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-33, June.
    18. Joanna Horoszkiewicz & Ewa Jajor & Jakub Danielewicz & Marek Korbas & Lech Schimmelpfennig & Marzena Mikos-Szymańska & Marta Klimczyk & Jan Bocianowski, 2023. "The Assessment of an Effect of Natural Origin Products on the Initial Growth and Development of Maize under Drought Stress and the Occurrence of Selected Pathogens," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-13, March.
    19. Ghazi M. Magableh, 2023. "Evaluating Wheat Suppliers Using Fuzzy MCDM Technique," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-23, July.
    20. Mirela Ionela Aceleanu, 2016. "Sustainability and Competitiveness of Romanian Farms through Organic Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-19, March.
    21. Maria Simona Raboaca & Nicu Bizon & Catalin Trufin & Florentina Magda Enescu, 2020. "Efficient and Secure Strategy for Energy Systems of Interconnected Farmers′ Associations to Meet Variable Energy Demand," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-30, December.
    22. René Vázquez-Jiménez & Raúl Romero-Calcerrada & Rocío N. Ramos-Bernal & Patricia Arrogante-Funes & Carlos J. Novillo, 2021. "An Alternative Method for the Generation of Consistent Mapping to Monitoring Land Cover Change: A Case Study of Guerrero State in Mexico," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    23. Vasile Burja & Attila Tamas-Szora & Iulian Bogdan Dobra, 2020. "Land Concentration, Land Grabbing and Sustainable Development of Agriculture in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-19, March.
    24. Patricia Arrogante-Funes & Carlos J. Novillo & Raúl Romero-Calcerrada, 2018. "Monitoring NDVI Inter-Annual Behavior in Mountain Areas of Mainland Spain (2001–2016)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-24, November.
    25. Thi Tam Duong & Tom Brewer & Jo Luck & Kerstin Zander, 2019. "A Global Review of Farmers’ Perceptions of Agricultural Risks and Risk Management Strategies," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    26. Alexandru-Ionuţ Petrişor & Walid Hamma & Huu Duy Nguyen & Giovanni Randazzo & Anselme Muzirafuti & Mari-Isabella Stan & Van Truong Tran & Roxana Aştefănoaiei & Quang-Thanh Bui & Dragoş-Florian Vintilă, 2020. "Degradation of Coastlines under the Pressure of Urbanization and Tourism: Evidence on the Change of Land Systems from Europe, Asia and Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-43, August.
    27. Florin Nenciu & Marius Remus Oprescu & Sorin-Stefan Biris, 2022. "Improve the Constructive Design of a Furrow Diking Rotor Aimed at Increasing Water Consumption Efficiency in Sunflower Farming Systems," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, June.
    28. Elena-Larisa Nistor & Ștefan Dezsi, 2022. "An Insight into Gastronomic Tourism through the Literature Published between 2012 and 2022," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-16, December.
    29. Nicolae Istudor & Raluca Andreea Ion & Maria Sponte & Irina Elena Petrescu, 2014. "Food Security in Romania—A Modern Approach for Developing Sustainable Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-12, December.
    30. Feher, Andrea & Stanciu, Sorin & Iancu, Tiberiu & Adamov, Tabita Cornelia & Ciolac, Ramona Mariana & Pascalau, Raul & Banes, Adrian & Raicov, Miroslav & Gosa, Vasile, 2022. "Design of the macroeconomic evolution of Romania's agriculture 2020–2040," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    31. B. Calka, 2021. "Bivariate choropleth map documenting land cover intensity and population growth in Poland 2006–2018," Journal of Maps, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(1), pages 163-169, January.
    32. Andrei-Mirel Florea & Florentin Bercu & Riana Iren Radu & Silvius Stanciu, 2019. "A Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) of the Agricultural Cooperatives from South East Region of Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    33. Ana Ursu & Ionut Laurentiu Petre, 2022. "Forecasting the Optimal Sustainable Development of the Romanian Ecological Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-23, October.
    34. Marius Mihai Micu & Eduard Alexandru Dumitru & Catalin Razvan Vintu & Valentina Constanta Tudor & Gina Fintineru, 2022. "Models Underlying the Success Development of Family Farms in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    35. Andrei-Florin Băbăț & Mirela Mazilu & Amalia Niță & Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa & Mihaela Grigore, 2023. "Tourism and Travel Competitiveness Index: From Theoretical Definition to Practical Analysis in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-26, June.
    36. André Padrão & Lia Duarte & Ana Cláudia Teodoro, 2022. "A GIS Plugin for Susceptibility Modeling: Case Study of Wildfires in Vila Nova de Foz Côa," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-21, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mihaela-Iuliana Desculțu Grigore & Amalia Niță & Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa & Mirela Mazilu, 2024. "Geotourism, a New Perspective of Post-COVID-19-Pandemic Relaunch through Travel Agencies—Case Study: Bucegi Natural Park, Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-49, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marius Mihai Micu & Toma Adrian Dinu & Gina Fintineru & Valentina Constanta Tudor & Elena Stoian & Eduard Alexandru Dumitru & Paula Stoicea & Adina Iorga, 2022. "Climate Change—Between “Myth and Truth” in Romanian Farmers’ Perception," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-21, July.
    2. Eduard Alexandru Dumitru & Cristina Maria Sterie & Steliana Rodino & Marian Butu, 2023. "Consumer Preferences in the Purchase of Agri-Food Products: Implications for the Development of Family Farms," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-22, July.
    3. Mirela Mazilu & Amalia Niță & Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa & Oana Mititelu-Ionuș, 2023. "Fostering Urban Destination Prosperity through Post COVID-19 Sustainable Tourism in Craiova, Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-27, August.
    4. Ana Ursu & Ionut Laurentiu Petre, 2022. "Forecasting the Optimal Sustainable Development of the Romanian Ecological Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-23, October.
    5. Ralph De Witte & Dirk Janssen & Samir Sayadi Gmada & Carmen García-García, 2023. "Best Practices for Training in Sustainable Greenhouse Horticulture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-26, March.
    6. Claudio Liberati & Concetta Cardillo & Antonella Di Fonzo, 2021. "Sustainability and competitiveness in farms: An evidence of Lazio region agriculture through FADN data analysis," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 23(3), pages 1-22.
    7. Valentina Constanta Tudor & Toma Adrian Dinu & Marius Vladu & Dragoș Smedescu & Ionela Mituko Vlad & Eduard Alexandru Dumitru & Cristina Maria Sterie & Carmen Luiza Costuleanu, 2022. "Labour Implications on Agricultural Production in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-22, July.
    8. Concetta Cardillo & Antonella Di Fonzo & Claudio Liberati, 2023. "The Farm’s Orientation towards Sustainability: An Assessment Using FADN Data in Italy," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-22, January.
    9. Teerajet Chaiyason & Juckamas Laohavanich & Suphan Yangyuen & Cherdpong Chiawchanwattana & Nisanath Kaewwinud & Nirattisak Khongthon & Siwa Kaewplang & Jurawan Nontapon & Anongrit Kangrang, 2023. "Accepted Guidelines on the Potential of Water Budgets for Solving Droughts: A Case Study of Chum Saeng Sub-District, Satuek District, Buri Ram Province, Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    10. Nicolae Bobitan & Diana Dumitrescu & Valentin Burca, 2023. "Agriculture’s Efficiency in the Context of Sustainable Agriculture—A Benchmarking Analysis of Financial Performance with Data Envelopment Analysis and Malmquist Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-27, August.
    11. Mihaela-Iuliana Desculțu Grigore & Amalia Niță & Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa & Mirela Mazilu, 2024. "Geotourism, a New Perspective of Post-COVID-19-Pandemic Relaunch through Travel Agencies—Case Study: Bucegi Natural Park, Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-49, January.
    12. Costinela Fortea & Valentin Marian Antohi & Monica Laura Zlati & Romeo Victor Ionescu & Ioana Lazarescu & Stefan Mihai Petrea & Dragos Sebastian Cristea, 2022. "The Dynamics of the Implementation of Organic Farming in Romania," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, May.
    13. Antonio Alberto Rodríguez Sousa & Carlos Parra-López & Samir Sayadi-Gmada & Jesús M. Barandica & Alejandro J. Rescia, 2021. "Impacts of Erosion on the Sustainability of Organic Olive Groves: A Case Study (Estepa Region, Southwestern Spain)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-20, July.
    14. Priti Khatri & Prashant Kumar & Kaushlesh Singh Shakya & Marios C. Kirlas & Kamal Kant Tiwari, 2024. "Understanding the intertwined nature of rising multiple risks in modern agriculture and food system," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(9), pages 24107-24150, September.
    15. Jasper Grashuis & Florentin Bercu & Andrei‐Mirel Florea & Riana Iren Radu, 2024. "The commercial growth of farmer cooperatives in Romania: A double‐hurdle model analysis," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 95(1), pages 113-127, March.
    16. Marius Mihai Micu & Eduard Alexandru Dumitru & Catalin Razvan Vintu & Valentina Constanta Tudor & Gina Fintineru, 2022. "Models Underlying the Success Development of Family Farms in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    17. Chengkun Huang & Feiyang Lin & Deping Chu & Lanlan Wang & Jiawei Liao & Junqian Wu, 2021. "Coupling Relationship and Interactive Response between Intensive Land Use and Tourism Industry Development in China’s Major Tourist Cities," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    18. Agnieszka Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska & Anna Kłoczko-Gajewska & Piotr Sulewski, 2019. "Between the Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability in Rural Areas—In Search of Farmers’ Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    19. Muhammad Waseem & Muhammad Adnan Khan & Arman Goudarzi & Shah Fahad & Intisar Ali Sajjad & Pierluigi Siano, 2023. "Incorporation of Blockchain Technology for Different Smart Grid Applications: Architecture, Prospects, and Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-29, January.
    20. Phélinas, Pascale & Choumert, Johanna, 2017. "Is GM Soybean Cultivation in Argentina Sustainable?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 452-462.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:20:p:14793-:d:1258317. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.