Less-favoured Areas Research Articles

Rozdílné podmínky hospodaření zemědělských podniků v LFA a NON LFA

The paper discusses changes of criteria of the LFA (Less Favoured Areas) classification in the European Union and analyses the development of economic indicators of farms in the LFA and NON LFA in the Czech Republic in 2004 – 2008. Results revealed that an increases of differences of economic results of agricultural holdings in the LFA and NON LFA. Subsidies to agriculture have been increasing on the long-term basis but the increase has slowed down; total subsidies calculated per hectare of agricultural land decreased for the first time (by 1.3%) in 2008. Misbalance in the structure of subsidies to LFA and NON LFA and among member states of the EU 15 and the Czech Republic decreases the competitiveness of the agriculture in the Czech Republic. Further increasing differences in levels of gross incomes in agriculture and other sectors of national economy causes the outflow of young workers mainly from rural areas.

Diet selection and performance of cattle and horses grazing in heathlands

As the number of horses is steadily increasing in Cantabrian less-favoured areas, mostly occupied by nutritionally poor heathland communities, the objective of this research was to study and compare diet selection and performance of crossbred horses and beef cattle (Asturiana de los Valles breed) grazing these areas during the summer. A total of 20 cows (seven lactating their calves and thirteen dry) and 20 mares (eight lactating their foals and twelve dry) were managed during 3 years on a heathland area from June to September and October. The proportion of grass (mostly Pseudarrhenatherum longifolium) and heather (Erica umbellata, E. cinerea and Calluna vulgaris) in the diet selected by cows and mares was estimated in two occasions (July and September) each year using the alkane markers. All animals were weighed at the beginning, middle and end of the summer grazing season. Mares selected heath grasses and rejected heather species more than did the cows (P < 0.001), particularly in early summer (0.85 v. 0.65 herbage proportion in July; 0.63 v. 0.55 in September). Lactating state did not affect diet composition. Mares achieved more favourable (P < 0.001) body weight (BW) changes than cows, but there was also an interaction with season (P < 0.001). From June to August, cows lost BW, being the daily changes (in percentage of initial BW) −0.15%/day in lactating and −0.05%/day in dry cows, whereas both lactating and dry mares gained BW (0.16 and 0.12%/day, respectively). From August to October, lactating cows and mares lost more BW (P < 0.01) compared with their non-lactating counterparts (−0.19 v. −0.10%/day in cows, −0.14 v. −0.05%/day in mares). With regard to the offspring, BW gains between June and August were similar in calves and foals (0.83 and 0.90%/day, respectively), but thereafter calves achieved higher (P < 0.05) BW gains than foals (0.37 v. 0.16%/day). It is concluded that the low nutritive quality of these heathlands restricts, both cattle and horse performance, even during short summer grazing season, being more penalized lactating animals, especially the cows. Although calves were able to maintain acceptable growth rates, foals showed reduced ones during the second half of the grazing season. Other plant communities with better nutritive quality should be provided to assure replenishment of body reserves in dams, and enhance offspring gains to maintain sustainable grazing systems with productive herds of cattle and horses in these heathland areas.

An evaluation of the relevance of EU less favoured areas policy for dry regions of the Czech Republic

The paper analyses production and economic characteristics of the farms, situated in the dry regions, defined according to various methods, in the Czech Republic. To consider the chance for obtaining the support for the less-favoured areas (natural handicapped areas) according to the rules of the EU is its main aim. It was found out that drought can have negative influence on the economic results in case of some farms and thus endanger agricultural cultivation of the land. For obtaining the subsidies in the natural handicapped areas after 2013 it would be necessary to change the rules of these measures in the Czech Republic. In light of recent Commission proposals on the CAP after 2014, analytical results support the requirements for better tailored policies to diverse rural regions of the EU.

Common criteria for the redefinition of Intermediate Less Favoured Areas in the European Union

This article defines eight key climate, soil and terrain criteria that have been developed for the future delimitation of the Intermediate Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) support, a measure of the Common Agricultural Policy. The LFA scheme has existed since 1975 and is a broad mechanism for improving the viability of agriculture in areas with natural handicaps. The common criteria have been developed for the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development to satisfy the objectives in the Rural Development Policy 2007–2013 (Axis II), which aim to improve the environment and the countryside by more sustainable land management. The criteria were developed by experts, coordinated by the European Commissions Joint Research Centre, to meet the requirement for a robust and harmonised approach of identifying areas that experience natural constraints to agriculture throughout the EU 27 Member States. The criteria proposed are: temperature, heat stress, drainage, soil texture and stoniness, soil rooting depth, soil chemical properties, soil moisture balance and slope. Each criterion is described and an indicative threshold for assessment of its impact on agriculture is provided. The criteria are currently being tested by the EU Member States for a future possible legislation.

The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies

Broadband access is indispensable for advanced Internet services, because voluminous data transfers have recently become popular in developed societies. Although broadband access has spread to a certain degree in developed countries/regions, geographical gaps in broadband access (the so-called “geographical digital divide”) remain. Based on three case studies in less-favoured areas of Japan (Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture and Mie Prefecture), we examined how the geographical digital divide is being bridged, and the contributions that national and local government policies make to this process. Several implications were apparent. First, integrating communication infrastructures with manifold digital services, such as cable television services and broadband access, is an effective way to extend broadband to less-favoured areas. The Japanese government has promoted the construction of digital cable television networks, and they have played a significant role in the completion of universal broadband services. The challenge of digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting has been behind these policies. Another effective means of extending broadband has been the pressure exerted by local governments (under the national policy scheme) on private cable television companies to bring their services to even the least populated regions. Finally, in those areas where private digital network services are unprofitable, the establishment of a publicly funded cable business (using a budget-transfer scheme, for example) may be an effective option for extending broadband services. In general, the challenge of bridging the geographical digital divide should be tackled with a broad set of regional promotion policies for less-favoured regions.

Policy impact on technical efficiency of Spanish olive farms located in less-favored areas

Abstract The olive sector has an important social, economic, and environmental role in Spain. This production activity is distinguished by a large number of small farms, located mainly in less-favored areas (LFA). The main objective of this study is to analyze the determinant factor of farms’ technical efficiency as well as the impact of LFA payment on such efficiency. To achieve this objective, we used a Stochastic Frontier approach and a random-effect Tobit regression. A two balanced panel data sample of Spanish olive farms observed from 2000 to 2004 is obtained from the Farm Accountancy Data Network dataset. Results show that technical efficiency scores seem to be positively correlated with farm size, and age of manager, and negatively to farm renting cultivated land. The workforce composition shows that farms with a higher proportion of family labor, not receiving payments are more efficient relative to the farms with a higher proportion of remunerated work. The results also suggest a negative direct ...

Application of the Digital Kreybig Soil Information System for the delineation of naturally handicapped areas in Hungary

EU’s Common Agricultural Policy encourages maintaining agricultural production in less favored areas (LFA) to secure both stable production and income to farmers and to protect the environment. Recently the delimitation of LFAs is suggested to be carried out using common biophysical diagnostic criteria on low soil productivity and poor climate conditions all over Europe. The criterion system was elaborated by European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) and its operational implementation comes under member state competence. This process requires the existence of an adequate national spatial soil information system with appropriate data structure and spatial resolution as well as a proper methodology for its analysis. Hungary possesses an appropriate, nationwide, 1:25,000 scale legacy dataset originating from the national soil mapping project, which was digitally processed and developed into the Digital Kreybig Soil Information System (DKSIS). In the paper we present how DKSIS was applied for the identification and delineation of areas in Hungary concerned by the common biophysical criteria related to soil. Soil data linked to soil profiles and SMUs were jointly spatially analyzed for the compilation of nationwide digital maps displaying spatial distribution of specific limiting factors.

Study on Factors and Promotional Systems For Endogenous Development in Less-favored Areas

In this research, we tried to verify role of administration to invigoration of a less-favored area anew. We selected Sugiyama district in Maizuru-city as study area, and analyzed process which area invigorated paying attention to action of administration. Result from listening survey uncovered that suitable care of administration was functioning as a important factor behind Sugiyama district accomplished endogenous development. Although the new public which consists of various subjects as a bearer of an area is expected in recent years, we made it clear that role of administration is still important.

Contrasting diversity patterns of epigeic arthropods between grasslands of high and low agronomic potential

Abstract in Undetermined Increasing demand for food, fuel and fibre promotes the intensification of land-use, particularly in areas favourable for agricultural production. In less-favourable areas, more wildlife-friendly farming systems are often either abandoned or under pressure of conversion, e.g. for bioenergy production. This raises the question, to which extent areas of different agronomicpotential contribute to regional biodiversity. To approach this question on a regional scale, we established our study within a region where sites of high and lowagronomicpotential (AP) alternate on a small spatial scale. We selected 13 high-AP and 13 low-AP grasslands to quantify the contribution of these classes to the regional diversity of four epigeicarthropod taxa (ants, springtails, functional groups of ground beetles, and spiders). The regional diversity (γ) was partitioned into species richness per site (α-diversity), diversity among sites within one class (βwithin-diversity), and diversity between the two classes (βbetween-diversity). The β-diversity generally accounted for the largest share of the γ-diversity, with patterns of diversity components being highly taxon- and class-specific. Carnivorous carabids had a higherα-diversity at high-AP sites. Ants, springtails, and cursorial spiders had a higherβwithin-diversity in low-AP grasslands. Low-AP sites also harboured many more species that occurred exclusively in one grassland class. We conclude that grasslands that may be unfavourable for agricultural production contributed more to regional diversity of epigeicarthropods than favourable grasslands. We therefore suggest that future agricultural schemes should promote arthropod biodiversity by specifically targeting agri-environment schemes or other wildlife-friendly farming approaches to areas of lowagronomicpotential, since this bears the greatest potential to preserve a comparatively high species turnover (β-diversity) and in consequence high regional diversity.

Less favoured area measure in the Netherlands: a welcome or negligible addition?

The Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) Directive (75/268) which was introduced in 1975, was the first common European instrument of regional agricultural structural policy. LFAs are areas where agriculture is hampered by permanent natural handicaps. The major objectives were to ensure the continuation of farming, thereby maintaining a minimum population level and preserving scenic landscapes and environmentally valuable habitats. In the Netherlands, the LFA measure is used as an additional payment, to compensate farmers for negative economic effects due to the conservation of these natural handicaps. It was not implemented as a stand alone policy, but is linked to measures aiming at active nature and landscape conservation management. In this paper, the effects will be examined of the regulations aiming at the conservation of natural handicaps on farm businesses within LFAs, when comparing them to farm businesses outside LFAs, where these regulations and handicaps do not exist. The main data source that was used is the Farm Accountancy Data Network. Reference groups of farms were compiled with the use of the simple and multiple imputation approach in Stars (Statistics for Regional Studies). Both analyses were tested with the use of a parametric and a nonparametric test. When comparing the results of both analyses, it can be concluded that there is no evidence that there is a statistical difference in family farm income corrected for and not corrected for LFA payment between the LFA farm businesses and the reference groups. Based on these findings it can be concluded that the size of the compensatory allowances is small and there is no evidence that it has a significant effect on the family farm income of LFA farm businesses. The main purpose of the Dutch LFA policy is to compensate farm businesses for negative economic effects due to the conservation of natural handicaps. Although this may be true for some individual farms, based on the methods used in this paper, it appears not to be the case for the collectivity of LFA premium beneficiaries as a whole.

Multi-objective assessment of rural electrification in remote areas with poverty considerations

Rural electrification with renewable energy technologies (RETs) offers several benefits to remote areas where diesel generation is unsuitable due to fuel supply constraints. Such benefits include environmental and social aspects, which are linked to energy access and poverty reduction in less-favored areas of developing countries. In this case, multi-objective methods are suitable tools for planning in rural areas. In this study, assessment of rural electrification with renewable energy systems is conducted by means of goal programming towards fuel substitution. The approach showed that, in the Non-Interconnected Zones of Colombia, substitution of traditional biomass with an electrification scheme using renewable energy sources provides significant environmental benefits, measured as land use and avoided emissions, as well as higher employment generation rates than diesel generation schemes. Nevertheless, fuel substitution is constrained by the elevated cost of electricity compared to traditional biomass, which raises households’ energy expenditures between twofold to five times higher values. The present approach, yet wide in scope, is still limited for quantifying the impact of energy access improvements on poverty reduction, as well as for the assessment of energy system's technical feasibility.

The spatial aggregation of organic farming in England and its underlying environmental correlates

Summary 1 Given the current debate on the global food crisis, conservation in Europe is expected to shift from maximizing biodiversity at the expense of yield to conserving biodiversity under food production constraints. Organic farming is potentially of great importance for environmentally sustainable farming. Understanding the distribution of organic farms and the environmental, social and cultural correlates is necessary to predict the way in which this may change over time. 2 We collated data from 30 variables describing the topography, climate, soils, farm size/type, human population characteristics and farm business in the English agricultural landscape. Factor analysis reduced these variables to six orthogonal axes, which describe the suitability of land for arable farming, the degree of ruralization (distance to urban centres and population density), the farm size and type, the soil hydrology and texture, and the amount of woodland (forestry). 3 An analysis of the distribution of organic farms showed that they are spatially aggregated at the regional and neighbourhood scales and that their presence in a 10 × 10-km grid square can be predicted from the farm size/type. 4 Analysis of the concentration of organic farms showed that about a third of the variance in their occurrence across the country can be predicted by a statistical model including the six landscape axes and a term to account for spatial aggregation. 5 Synthesis and applications. Our results show that a combination of environmental variables associated with a lower agricultural potential predisposes farmers to convert to organic farming, which further promotes conversion of farmers in the neighbourhood. Organic farming as a ‘wildlife friendly’ method is more likely to occur in agriculturally less-favoured areas where economic incentives for conversion to organic farming do not need to be high and the loss of production due to conversion will be comparatively small. This suggests that an efficient conservation strategy, which takes the global demand for food into account, would be to promote organic farming as an agri-environment scheme in landscapes that are already rich in organic farms at the expense of those existing high-production landscapes that are not.

Evaluating the effects of farm programmes: results from propensity score matching

The paper applies a non-parametric propensity score matching approach to evaluate the effects of two types of farm programs (agri-environment (AE) programs and the less favoured area (LFA) scheme) on input use and farm output of individual farms in Germany. The analysis reveals a positive and significant treatment effect of the LFA scheme for farm sales and the area under cultivation. Participants in AE schemes are found to significantly increase the area under cultivation (in particular grassland), resulting in a decrease of livestock densities. Furthermore, participation in AE programs significantly reduced the purchase of farm chemicals (fertilizer, pesticide). We also find substantial differences in the treatment effect between individual farms (heterogeneous treatment effects). Farms which can generate the largest benefit from the program are most likely to participate. (authors' abstract)

Characterizing potential flexibility in grassland use. Application to the French Aubrac area

Farmers increasingly need to adjust their management practices to accommodate unexpected events such as drought, and preserve the sustainability of their production. This flexibility requires background knowledge about where and when freedom of choice can be exercised. Here, we designed an analysis framework for grassland-based farming systems in mountainous and less-favored areas. An expert-based discrimination tree characterizes organizational flexibility by determining the range of possible types of grassland use under various topographic and farming constraints such as suitability for mechanization, and ease of access to a field. A set of time windows evaluates the timing flexibility in grassland use, each associated with a combination of a grassland community type and a type of grassland use. Our results show that the outputs of the discrimination tree match for 139 of 165 grassland fields, by comparison with field data obtained in the French Aubrac region. For a particular type of grassland use, the set of time windows proves that timing flexibility in grassland use between grassland community types can increase by 15 days over a 37-day time range. When applying the two components of the analysis framework to a farm case, it shows that 24% of the farm area offers organizational flexibility, with several possibilities for grassland use. Timing flexibility for bringing forward or delaying the use of the grassland fields is unused in the farm. Most of the dates of grassland first use are similar irrespective of the diversity of grassland communities. The application of the analysis framework offers a sound evaluation of the potential flexibility to establish where and when it is possible to adjust management practices to cope with unexpected events. It can also be helpful in setting up coherent alternatives to the observed management strategies that can then be expanded in dynamic simulation models enabling deeper analysis.

Binding Constraints in Castile-La Mancha, Spain's Cereal-Sheep System

Low-input and large scale grazing systems (LSGS) in Europe are at a crossroads and are facing two contrasting threats: intensification and abandonment (the most extreme form of extensification). Paradoxically, these LSGS constitute large tracts of European rural land in the less favored areas (LFA), which harbor a great part of high nature value (HNV) farmland. Natural and cultural values depend on continuity of the traditional farming practices and this on the social and economic sustainability of the respective farming systems. In this report, we argue that understanding the social dynamic and main binding constraints of particular LSGS is a precedent to institutional reforms and devising sensible schemes of policy support. A community-based research approach with stakeholders' participation was devised within the EU-funded LACOPE research project and applied to five European LSGS. A more structured approach with three phases of the diagnostic methodology and corresponding data is presented for the cereal-sheep farming system of Castile-La Mancha (South-Central Spain). Comparative data are presented for other four European LSGS: the reindeer herding in northernmost Fennoscandia (Northern Sapmi); sheep grazing in the Carpathian (Tatra) mountains of Poland; and heifers' rearing on the Alps in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch (Switzerland) and Upper Bavaria (Germany). Results in the cereal-sheep systems showed congenial views (social consensus) on the main constraints between the two principal stakeholders, but uncooperative attitudes and lack for social cohesion. Comparative results indicated a common ground of abandonment of the less-favored and far-reaching grazing areas with causes related to inter-Scandinavian border barriers (Northern Sapmi), intensification of more-favored lowland farms (Entlebuch and Upper Bavaria) and lack of social cohesion and structural constraints (Tatra and Castile-La Mancha). A social sustainability tier should be included into the Rural Development guidelines of the EU for actions in HNV farmland, but regional strategy plans should be adapted to particular social dynamic of European LSGS.

The Impact of Direct Payment Program on Less Favored Areas (LFAs) in South Korea

The Impact of Direct Payment Program on Less Favored Areas (LFAs) in South Korea

Livestock Subsidies and Rangeland Degradation in Central Crete

Lorent, H., R. Sonnenschein, G. M. Tsiourlis, P. Hostert, and E. Lambin. 2009. Livestock subsidies and rangeland degradation in central Crete. Ecology and Society 14(2): 41. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03229-140241

The effect of single farm payments on less favoured areas agriculture in Scotland: a CGE analysis

This study quantifies impacts of common agricultural policy reform on farming in Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) in Scotland. LFAs are characterised by low agricultural productivity, because of unfavourable natural conditions, which allow only extensive farming systems such as cattle and sheep rearing. The differential impacts of the single farm payment on LFA farming is examined using a CGE modeling framework that accounts for inter-sectoral linkage effects. The simulation results indicate that the policy reform has considerably larger adverse effects on LFA farms than non-LFA farms and emphasize the need to consider spatially differential impacts in further adjustments to policy reforms taking into account local circumstances.;

Prosperity factors of agricultural companies in the SR in the LFA after the EU integration

The agricultural production in less favoured areas (LFA) should, first of all, fulfil the non-production goals, as is the nature and environment protection and job opportunities generation. These goals could be achieved within the conditions of sustainable agricultural production systems. This paper is aimed on the analysis of how the companies operating in marginal conditions realize commercial principles and targets specified for the LFA conditions. The obtained knowledge indicates that the managers of majority of the companies do not respect the recommendations and persist in the intensive production in spite of the unfavourable conditions.

Stakeholder interactions in Castile-La Mancha, Spain’s cereal-sheep system

Large tracts of European rural land, mostly in the less favored areas (LFA), are devoted to low-inputs and large scale grazing systems (LSGS) with potential environmental and social functions. Although these LSGS may provide harbor for a good part of European nature values, their continuity is facing contrasting threats of intensification and abandonment. These areas, however, may be characterized by particular grazing structures and social dynamics of change that should be unveiled prior to attempts to devise rural development strategies or to adapt policy frameworks in general. To wit, stakeholder interactions and legal and institutional processes are described and analyzed for the cereal-sheep system of Castile-La Mancha (CLM) in the central Iberian plain. Farmers and pastoralists still share the use of the land, but their roles and interests have changed over time, and particularly in the last 50 years. Arable farming, mainly cereal cropping, has followed an intensification path, partially tempered by the environmental constraints of the Castilian plain. Extensive pastoralism is still a secondary option of land use; in the main, sheep farmers depend on, and look to, the management practices of arable farmers. A mixed cereal and sheep operation may deliver environmental and economic benefits, but successful implementation of this strategy is only possible when the system serves the needs of both types of stakeholders. Paradoxically, the main drivers of change in the countryside overall are arrayed against this sensible and traditional agricultural system. We argue that the recent legal and institutional frameworks do not favor social cohesion and that policy-support schemes of the European Union (EU) have been, and continue to be, devised without taking into account the particular structures and social dynamic of the farming system.