Private sector agricultural tenancy arrangements in Europe : themes and dimensions, a critical review of current literature

Abstract

Although there is widespread support for the "ideal model" of agricultural production being based around the owner-occupier farmer, it is recognized that, for a variety of reasons, this ideal is neither always attainable nor desirable. There is also a need to ensure that farming becomes competitive when exposed fully to world markets. This means that farmers are likely to require the flexibility to expand their businesses in circumstances where they may not have the capital to purchase the additional assets. The need to find suitable systems for agricultural tenancy reform remains paramount as a means both for sustaining rural communities generally and for establishing mechanisms suitable for matching the demand for and supply of private land for rent. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently commissioned a study of agricultural land tenure systems in order to identify elements of good practice in existing arrangements for the leasing of private sector agricultural land. This report is confined to a consideration of and commentary on the existing literature on tenure and tenancy arrangements as a basis for identifying examples of good practice. For the purposes of establishing good practice, this report concentrates on the market economies of northern and western Europe, predominantly the fifteen current member states of the European Union, while being aware of the principal dimensions of land reform in central and eastern European and former Soviet Union countries.