The European Green Deal sets an ambitious target of 25 % of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030. Eastern European countries, where small-scale agriculture predominates, still face significant challenges in meeting this goal. In Romania, although the organic sector has grown substantially, the proportion of certified land remains among the lowest in the EU. The reasons behind the reluctance of small and medium-sized farmers to convert to organic farming—and how best to encourage them—are not yet fully understood. This paper introduces the latent construct of farmers’ environmental consciousness to explore how it shapes expectations of public policy. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, we investigate Romanian farmers’ preferences for adopting organic practices on arable land and permanent grassland, with the aim of informing improvements to existing policy schemes. A hybrid discrete choice model, specified through a multi-stage procedure, is employed. Our findings reveal that farmers hold favourable views towards converting small to moderate portions of arable land, while expressing negative attitudes towards grassland conversion. Reluctance can be mitigated through higher subsidies and targeted advisory support—though only professional consultancy proves effective. Basic information provision constitutes a deadweight loss, and collective certification schemes are unlikely to succeed. Notably, greater environmental consciousness is associated with a reduced expectation for financial compensation, suggesting that intrinsic motivation may play a key role in policy design and perception.
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