The size of an external patchwork of fields as an indicator of urgency for land consolidation and exchange on the example of the commune of Lesko

Abstract

Abstract The patchwork of plots is one of the major factors that have a negative impact on both the organization and the level of agricultural production. Excessive fragmentation reduces the intensity of the work and increases the cost of agricultural production, thereby generating lower and lower income. This paper presents data regarding the share of farmland belonging to non-resident owners in the commune of Lesko, which encompasses 15 cadastral communities. The data studied include the number of plots, their surface areas, and the number of owners. The study was conducted using checkerboard matrix tables which allow one to determine the share of farmland owned by local and out-of-village non-residents. An approach like this allows one to establish a program of exchange of land between these two groups of owners and to eliminate the problematic patchwork of land ownership through land exchange and consolidation.