The transition to sustainable agriculture is a key strategic objective at the European level; however, its effective implementation largely depends on farmers’ perceptions and the extent to which sustainable practices are integrated at the farm level. This study analyzes Romanian farmers’ attitudes towards sustainable agricultural practices, their self-reported level of integration, and the associations between these two dimensions. Data were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire (CAWI), yielding 264 valid responses. Nonparametric methods were applied, including the Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc comparisons, principal component analysis (PCA) with promax rotation, and Kendall’s tau correlation. Significant differences in perceived importance of sustainable practices were observed by farming experience, with higher scores reported by farmers with 6–10 years of experience compared to those with 16–20 years (p = 0.0046). PCA confirmed a two-component structure reflecting attitudes and self-reported integration, explaining 72.4% of the total variance. The association between these constructs was modest but statistically significant (τ = 0.289, p < 0.001). Overall, the farmers report positive attitudes towards sustainability alongside a moderate and heterogeneous level of practice integration, with soil and water protection and long-term cost considerations emerging as more salient than market- or image-related factors. The findings provide a descriptive and correlational perspective relevant for advisory services and support measures aligned with farmers’ reported perceptions and experience.
Toader et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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