Digital Farm Index (DFI): Regional Disparities in the Digitalisation of Agriculture in Romania

Abstract

The paper analyzes the state of digitalization in Romanian agriculture, aiming to assess regional gaps in farms’ digital maturity. The study pursues two objectives: to develop and validate the Digital Farm Index (DFI) based on Eurostat data for 2023, and identify regional profiles of technology adoption in commercial farms (Standard Output > €100,000). The research is guided by two hypotheses: technology distribution is uneven across regions, and agricultural specialization influences the type of digitalization. Calculated using asymmetric weights, the indicator aggregates four dimensions: connectivity (20%), precision agriculture (35%), robotics (25%), and management systems (20%). The results confirm the hypotheses and indicate distinct regional profiles. The North-West region records the highest DFI score (25.50), while the Center region leads in automation (38.04%), mainly due to the livestock sector. The North-East region stands out at the managerial level (9.27%), whereas South-West Oltenia faces severe connectivity gaps (22.54%). Comparatively, the national DFI reaches 20.89 when calculated based on the number of farms and 25.83 when calculated based on hectares, demonstrating the concentration of digital technologies in large-scale holdings. The study concludes that agricultural policies should be tailored to specific regional realities rather than based on uniform approaches.

Cite

@article{Ailioaei2026,
  title = {Digital Farm Index (DFI): Regional Disparities in the Digitalisation of Agriculture in Romania},
  author = {Ailioaei, Claudiu-Ovidiu and Dumitras, Constantin-Dragos and Coca, Oana and Stefan, Gavril},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development},
  volume = {26},
  number = {2},
  pages = {15--26},
  url = {https://arcaiuls.com/en/publicatii/dfi-disparitati-regionale-romania/},
  keywords = {Agriculture 4.0, Digital Farm Index (DFI), regional disparities}
}

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ailioaei, Claudiu-Ovidiu
AU  - Dumitras, Constantin-Dragos
AU  - Coca, Oana
AU  - Stefan, Gavril
TI  - Digital Farm Index (DFI): Regional Disparities in the Digitalisation of Agriculture in Romania
PY  - 2026
JO  - Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development
VL  - 26
IS  - 2
SP  - 15
EP  - 26
UR  - https://arcaiuls.com/en/publicatii/dfi-disparitati-regionale-romania/
KW  - Agriculture 4.0
KW  - Digital Farm Index (DFI)
KW  - regional disparities
ER  -