Spatial Heterogeneity of Romanian Agricultural Landscapes (2000–2024): Intensification, Polarization, and Agroecosystem Typologies

Romanian agricultural landscapes have undergone substantial transformation between 2000 and 2024, driven by agricultural modernization, market integration, and uneven regional development. This study assesses the opportunities and risks associated with these changes within a landscape-scale sustainability framework. Using 24 indicators describing land use, crop structure, productivity, mechanization, irrigation, input use, and socio-economic characteristics, we combined paired-sample t-tests, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis to examine temporal and spatial patterns of agricultural transformation across Romanian counties. The results reveal significant increases in arable land, mechanization, labour productivity, and cereal yields, accompanied by declining agricultural employment and growing crop specialization. PCA identified six key dimensions of transformation, highlighting increasing differentiation between intensive, productivity-oriented systems and traditional agricultural structures. Cluster analysis revealed nine distinct agricultural typologies and increasing spatial polarization between highly modernized, input-intensive lowland systems and persistent grassland-based mountain agroecosystems. The comparison between 2000 and 2024 indicates stronger specialization, technological intensification, and territorial differentiation of agricultural systems. These changes create opportunities through improved labour productivity and efficiency, while also reflecting increasing landscape simplification and evolving agri-environmental management patterns. The findings emphasize the need for regionally differentiated policies that support agricultural competitiveness, territorial cohesion, and sustainable rural development.