ROMANIA'S RURAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE

This paper aimed to analyzes the development of access to the internet in Romania for the last decade highlighting digitalization in rural areas. The main indicators studied in this research are: household access to the Internet in different regions of Romania and in the EU, and internet usage of households in Romania and the EU, analyzed in their dynamics in the period 2014-2023, based on Eurostat data. The results proved an increase in internet connectivity across three tiers of location: cities, towns, and rural areas. While internet reached almost the entire population of the cities, this has been more than doubled in rural areas: from 41.08% in 2014 to 88.12% in 2023. Despite these increases, Romania still ranks behind most the EU countries regarding overall digitalization, particularly at a rural level. In this context, the rapid increase in rural internet access indeed points to an improvement in digital infrastructure, but further investments in improving the gap will be required. The study, therefore, highlights the importance of sustained efforts toward improving rural digital literacy and connectivity for all, but in particular for embracing digital agriculture technologies.