Results of Implementing Less-Favoured Area Subsidies in the 2014–2020 Time Frame: Are the Measures of Environmental Concern Complementary?

Jana Poláková and Josef Soukup
Additional contact information
Jana Poláková: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
Josef Soukup: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: This article collated and interpreted data on land-based measures and capital investments support in Central Europe. Data collection is essential, due to more EU funds being distributed after 2020. Most evaluations focus on outcomes of agri-environmental measures within the most populous Member States. Unlike previous work, empirical data was hereby assessed on the public support of three measures of environmental concern to farmers (less favored area measure, capital investments, and agri-environmental measures). The study examined whether public goods are complementary. A prevailing focus was on spending for the farms in less favored areas, now renamed Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC). Cluster analysis was employed for seven countries out of 105 rural development programs (RDPs). The Countries include Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The average share of the wider ANC measures was 0.31 of the total public funds. Within Central Europe, Hungary sets aside the smallest share (0.17), whereas the Czech Republic and Austria introduced a slightly larger share (0.51). All RDPs identified Capital Investments in physical assets as one of the significant measures. The study found that public goods for biodiversity and landscapes were entailed in the ANC measures, although the extent of measure complementarity across all regions will require further investigation. Finally, unresolved questions about expenditure are highlighted.

Keywords: areas with natural constraint; agri-environment; extensive agriculture; rural development measures (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10534/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10534/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10534-:d:463217

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().