The agrarian structure and evolution of small farms in Romania after the accession to the European Union

At the moment, the European Union is facing a process that has been going on for decades (for 70 years now), of the disappearance of small farms, under the conditions of financial support mainly oriented towards large farms through the Common Agricultural Policy. The 2024-2027 CAP recognises the important role of small farms in local agri-food production, maintaining agro-biodiversity, as well as promoting the preservation of cultural heritage and comes with a series of measures aimed at small farms. Romania is facing a challenge regarding the future of small farms. Recent history reveals a decline by about 25% of farms in our country, mainly small farms, since 2007 to the present day. The evolution of Romania's agrarian structure highlights the perpetuation of excessive polarisation between a few large farms and millions of small and very small farms. At the moment, farmers are facing new challenges generated by the new NSP, in which even if small farmers are offered new opportunities for modernisation and development, in order to benefit from them, they must meet a series of environmental conditions that come in the package, which can generate a series of difficulties for them.