Determinants of Labor Productivity and Economic Sustainability in Romanian Family Farms Across Different Economic Size Classes: Literature Review and Sectoral Analysis

Romanian agriculture is characterized by fragmented land structures, limited capitalization, and high labour dependence, conditions that may constrain the economic performance of family farms. This study integrates two complementary components: (i) a systematic literature review conducted within the PRISMA 2020 framework, synthesizing evidence from 34 empirical studies concerning Romanian and Central and Eastern European family farms; and (ii) an original sectoral analysis based on publicly available Eurostat data for 2016–2025, including national trends and NUTS-2 regional comparisons. The reviewed evidence indicates that market integration, production specialization, technological adoption, investment capacity, and human capital are frequently associated with stronger labour-productivity outcomes, whereas land fragmentation and surplus labour are more frequently associated with weaker performance, particularly among smaller farms. The Eurostat analysis identifies an overall upward, although fluctuating, trajectory in nominal agricultural output and gross value added per AWU. The polynomial models provide a descriptive fit to these temporal patterns but do not identify their causal determinants. Overall, the findings support a size-differentiated interpretation of labour-productivity patterns and underline the relevance of targeted policies addressing the different structural conditions of Romanian family farms.