Integrated Approach to Assessing the Sustainable Performance of Regional Agricultural Holdings

Abstract

This study assesses the sustainability performance of agricultural holdings in Romania’s North-West Region through a quantitative multi-criteria assessment model structured around three dimensions: ecological sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability. The empirical analysis uses data for 2024–2025 collected from INSSE statistical records, DADR Cluj data and field-based observations, with Cluj County used as a representative reference case for the regional assessment. The model assigns equal weights of 33.3% to each of the three sustainability dimensions and evaluates selected indicators on a 1–10 scoring scale, subsequently aggregated into an overall sustainability score. The results show that agricultural holdings in the analysed region do not yet reach the minimum sustainability threshold proposed by the model. The total score obtained is 42 points, compared with the minimum reference threshold of 70 points required to classify agricultural holdings as sustainable. The weakest areas are related to livestock diversification, genetic heritage monitoring, farmers’ association capacity, income level and professional training. By contrast, relatively stronger results are identified in financial autonomy, direct valorisation of production and rural quality-of-life conditions. The findings indicate that the North-West Region faces significant structural and functional limitations that reduce the capacity of agricultural holdings to comply with sustainability requirements and European agricultural policy objectives. The study contributes to the literature by proposing an operational sustainability assessment framework that integrates ecological, social and economic indicators into a single regional evaluation model. From a practical perspective, the framework can support policymakers, regional authorities and farm managers in identifying priority intervention areas, improving resource allocation and designing targeted measures for the modernization and sustainable development of agricultural holdings. Future research should extend the model to other Romanian regions, refine the indicator weighting procedure and test the framework on larger farm-level datasets.