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VIEWPOINT
DOI: 10.5836/ijam/2020-09-7
Mobilising Land Mobility in the
European Union: An Under-Researched
Phenomenon
SHANE FRANCIS CONWAY
1,
*, MAURA FARRELL
1
, JOHN McDONAGH
1
and ANNE KINSELLA
1
ABSTRACT
Interest in land mobility and its impact on the structural development and economic growth of the
agricultural sector has grown considerably amid concerns about the ageing European farming population.
There have been calls throughout Europe for structural and institutional deterrents obstructing the
passage of farmland from the older to younger generation of farmers to overcome this phenomenon and
help facilitate generational renewal in agriculture. Nonetheless, gaining access to land is widely reported to
be the single largest barrier facing young people attempting to enter farming. Whilst land mobility is given
homogenous importance throughout Europe, this view point paper highlights that policies and regulations
relating to land differ considerably across EU Member States. There is also a surprising scarcity of
literature and academic discussion on access to land in a European context, despite its crucial role in the
survival, continuity and future prosperity of the farming industry and the broader sustainability of rural
communities. By focussing on the key policy and structural issues hampering access to agricultural land
throughout Europe, and using the Republic of Ireland’s Land Mobility Service as a good practice example
of how to help facilitate the process, this paper provides a rationale for why a major European study is
required to investigate the factors which influence land mobility in each of the 27 EU Member States in
order to inform future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans, particularly in relation to
generational renewal objectives.
KEYWORDS: land mobility; access to land; generational renewal; family farming; rural sustainability
1. Introduction
Agriculture is the main land use in the EU, accounting
for more than 47% of the region’s total land area
(Giannakis and Bruggeman, 2015). Agricultural land is
essential for food, energy production and the delivery of
public goods. Land is also a finite resource, and therefore
of infinite value. Recognising its fundamental impor-
tance to viable food production, the ongoing CAP
reform discussions have brought the debate on land
mobility (i.e. transfer of land from one farmer to ano-
ther, or from one generation to the next) in agriculture to
the forefront yet again. An infusion of ‘new blood’into
farming by means of efficient and effective land mobility
is considered to be critical to achieving a more innovative
and sustainable agricultural sector. Indeed, a recent
study by Zondag et al. (2016) found that the acquisition
of agricultural land (through purchase or rent) is the
most important requirement for young farmers / new
entrants who want to pursue a career in farming, while
gaining such access to land is also the largest barrier to
entering the European agricultural sector (EIP-AGRI,
2016; CEJA and DeLaval, 2017; Zagata et al., 2017).
Not only this, but a convergence of other factors,
ranging from the older generation’s reluctance to step
aside, land concentration and the low supply of land
for sale or rent in many regions combined with the
prevailing high price of available land, have exacerbated
the current land access issues for prospective farmers.
Overcoming these structural and institutional deter-
rents obstructing the transfer of farmland from one
generation to the next is a pressing matter in con-
temporary Europe, due to the fact that generational
renewal in agriculture is viewed as crucial for survival,
continuity and future prosperity of the European farm-
ing industry and the broader sustainability of rural
communities. However, whilst land mobility is given
consistent importance throughout Europe (CEJA and
DeLaval, 2017), policies and regulations relating to land
differ considerably across EU Member States (Zagata
et al., 2017). These differences can be explained partly
by the differing land use patterns which have emerged
historically, the prevailing physical conditions (such as
size, climatic, geographic and demographic circum-
stances) and the economic incentives available for
particular types of activity (OECD, 1996). The European
1
Rural Studies Unit, Discipline of Geography, National University of Ireland, Galway
*Corresponding author. Email: shane.conway@nuigalway.ie
Original submitted March 13 2020; accepted June 10 2020.
International Journal of Agricultural Management, Volume 9 ISSN 2047-3710
&2020 International Farm Management Association and Institute of Agricultural Management 7
Commission therefore regards land policy as a compe-
tency of each Member State of the European Union on a
national level, i.e. each country is solely responsible for
their own land sales and rental markets (ENRD, 2019).
There is also a surprising scarcity of literature and
academic discussion on access to land in a European
context, despite its centrality in the production efficiency
and economic growth of the agri-food sector (Franklin
and Morgan, 2014). As such, this view point paper now
explores the policy and structural issues that are hamper-
ing access to agricultural land throughout Europe. This
is followed by a presentation of the Republic of Ireland’s
Land Mobility Service as a good practice ‘match-
making’service example linking landowners and farmers
interested in collaborating and developing sustainable
viable farm enterprises in a sensitive manner.
2. ‘Greying’of the European Farming
Population
Interest in land mobility and its impact on the farming
economy has grown considerably amid concerns about
the ageing European farming population. Demographic
trends reveal an inversion of the age pyramid with those
aged 65 years and over constituting the fastest growing
sector of the farming community (Zagata and Suther-
land, 2015). Only 5.6% of all European farms are run by
farmers younger than 35, while more than 31% of all
farmers are older than 65 (European Commission, 2017).
To put this into context, for each farmer younger than 35
years of age, there are 5.6 farmers older than 65 years
(ibid). This ‘greying’of the farming workforce is reported
to have major implications for government policy,
raising concerns about the economic, social and envir-
onmental sustainability and viability of an ageing
farming population. Older farmers are reported to be
less competitive in the current market place because they
are slower to adopt new innovative agricultural technol-
ogies, alongside arguments that many are unwilling
to recognize or accept their physical limitations, with
subsequent risks to their health and safety (Conway
et al., 2018). On the contrary, the younger generation
are perceived to be eager to embrace smart agriculture,
innovative farming practices and science-based research
to help guarantee a more sustainable, profitable and
productive future for farming (CEJA and DeLaval,
2017). As young farmers’preparedness to innovate and
invest is also crucial for the future survival of rural
communities throughout Europe, generational renewal is
one of the European Commission’s key priorities in the
upcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post
2020.
3. Transitional Barriers in Farming
Family farms dominate the structure of European
agriculture in terms of their numbers and their contribu-
tion to agricultural employment. There were 10.8 million
farms in the EU in 2013, with the vast majority of these
(96.2%) classified as family farms (Eurostat, 2018). In
spite of the inherent desire to keep the family farm in the
family, research indicates however, that older farmers
often experience difficulty transferring managerial con-
trol and ownership of the family farm, even to their own
children (Conway et al., 2017). This lack of correlation
between the younger generation’s readiness to begin their
career in farming, and their elders lack of preparedness
to step aside, has resulted in a severe lack of land
mobility throughout European Member States. Research
indicates that the low levels of land mobility currently
being experienced is impacting on the younger genera-
tion’s ability to embark on a true and meaningful career
path of full-time farming, and under such incidences it
could take 20 to 30 years to assume managerial control
of the farm (ibid). An absence of young people with
decision-making responsibilities on farms throughout
Europe is a major concern, particularly for an industry
facing constant change and challenge in the digital era
(EIP-AGRI, 2017).
Conway et al. (2017) warn that younger farmers
are becoming increasingly impatient as they yearn for
greater financial independence, recognition and oppor-
tunities for leadership on the family farm. Indeed, results
from a recent EU-wide survey, carried out by CEJA –
the European Council of Young Farmers in partnership
with DeLaval, with young farmers across all European
Member States on the factors they consider to be most
important for the development of an economically
sustainable farm, found that gaining access to land is
one of most significant barriers for young people wishing
to enter or remain in the agricultural sector (CEJA and
DeLaval, 2017). Consequently, in order to deal with the
problem of land access, Zagata et al. (2017) recommend
creating new incentives such as retirement schemes, for
older farmers to pass on their farms. However, it must
also be recognised that farm succession and particularly
retirement are considered major transitional challenges
for the older farming generation, with many believing
farming to be a ‘way of life’and not just an occupation
or profession (Conway et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the
younger generation must be given the opportunity to
gain access to land and evolve into a more formidable
role in family farm business or otherwise they may
lose interest working in their elder’s shadow and decide
to leave the family business in pursuit of more fulfill-
ing career opportunities elsewhere (Cush and Macken-
Walsh, 2016; Zondag, et al., 2016). Furthermore, as
White et al. (2012) have argued, any initiative to stim-
ulate generational renewal in agriculture will be wea-
kened if prospective farmers lose interest and motivation
as a result of being unable to secure access to land. Such
a detrimental manifestation requires immediate policy
attention.
4. Land Concentration
As two thirds of the 10.5 million family farms in the EU
are less than 5ha (Eurostat, 2018), securing long-term
access to additional land is imperative for those wishing
to assemble an efficient size farm holding to increase
productivity and viability. A major difficulty in gaining
access to such land however is the increasingly intensive
process of land concentration taking place in European
farming. Between 2005 and 2015 the number of farms
in the EU decreased by approximately 3.8 million and
the average size of the farms increased by about 36%
(Eurostat, 2017). The result is a heightened contest
between farming and non-farming investors, and also
between both generations of the farming community,
ISSN 2047-3710 International Journal of Agricultural Management, Volume 9
8&2020 International Farm Management Association and Institute of Agricultural Management
Mobilising Land Mobility in the European Union S.F. Conway et al.
all competing in the same land market (Zagata et al.,
2017). Under such conditions it is becoming increasingly
difficult for young people to gain access to land in
order to establish a commercially viable farm, be they
the sons and daughters of farming families or young
people from a non-agricultural background (van der
Ploeg et al., 2015; Zagata et al., 2017). This is parti-
cularly problematic in Eastern Europe, which has seen
substantial foreign investment by both Western Euro-
pean farmers and businesses (ibid). This trend towards
fewer but larger farms is having a detrimental effect on
the economic viability of Europe’s small and medium
sized farms who do not have substantial financial
resources behind them to purchase or secure rental of
land (Zagata et al., 2017).
5. Mobilising Land Mobility Case Study –
Focus on the Republic of Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, it is argued that significant
changes and modifications to boost the competitiveness
and production efficiency of agriculture through land
mobility and structural change are required in order to
realise ambitious growth targets such as those identified
in the Food Wise 2025 strategic document (DAFM,
2015a). Gaining access to land remains particularly
inflexible in the Republic of Ireland however, despite
a number of policy initiatives designed to address land
mobility, most notably tax exemptions on income
derived from the long-term leasing of land (Geoghegan
et al., 2015). Entry to farming is predominately by
inheritance or purchasing highly inflated farmland,
resulting in the level of land transfer by sale being
minimal, with less than 1% of the total land area in
Ireland being sold on the open market annually (DAFM,
2018). Furthermore, the predominant system of land
rental is short-term and frequently through informal
arrangements which provides little security for farmers.
These cultural norms have resulted in extraordinary
socio-economic challenges for young people aspiring to
embark on a career in farming (Cush and Macken-
Walsh, 2016), with profound implications not only on
the development trajectory of individual family farms
but also the production efficiency and economic growth
of the Irish agri-food industry and rural society more
broadly (Conway et al., 2017). A report on ‘Land
Mobility and Succession in Ireland’claims the lack of
land mobility currently experienced in the Republic of
Ireland is stifling agricultural growth by preventing
young ‘enthusiastic’farmers gaining access to productive
assets (Bogue, 2013). Findings from a recent national
study by Macra na Feirme (2017), an Irish voluntary
rural youth organisation, with over 1000 young Irish
farmers entitled ‘CAP 2020 Young Farmer Roadmap for
Generational Renewal’support such arguments, as it
discovered that over 40% of young farmers believe that
gaining access to land is the biggest obstacle to establish
or expand their farms.
The prevalence of low levels of land mobility and the
steadfast adherence to traditional patterns of inheritance
in the Republic of Ireland led to the establishment of
an Irish Land Mobility Service in 2013, by Macra na
Feirme, with the financial backing of FBD Trust and
industry wide support. The Land Mobility Service is a
dedicated, proactive support service for farmers and
farm families who are contemplating expansion, chan-
ging enterprise, or stepping back from farming. It pro-
vides a confidential and independent ‘match-making’
service to introduce older farmers and/or landowners to
young people who want to develop their career in
farming in order to establish a sustainable and mutually
beneficial business arrangement (Land Mobility Service,
2019). The main aim of the service is to facilitate access
to land through land leasing and various forms of
collaborative farming arrangements developed by Tea-
gasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority
in Ireland, or Joint Farming Ventures (JFVs) as they are
also referred to (Cush and Macken-Walsh, 2016). Colla-
borative farming arrangements, such as farm partner-
ships, share farming and contract rearing, supported
by the Land Mobility Service are actively promoted
within Irish policy discourses as ideal stepping stones
to help overcome obstacles to land access. Indeed, since
its inception (initially as a pilot and now rolling out
nationwide) the Land Mobility Service has been involved
in excess of 500 collaborative farming arrangements,
covering more than 47,000 acres (Land Mobility Service,
2019), illustrating the success of the service to date.
Today, the Service actively engages with over 200 people
who are either looking for opportunities or their options.
These people fall into three categories: landowners who
wish to step back, new entrants to Farming, and existing
farmers looking to expand (ibid).
Collaborative farming arrangements have the poten-
tial to ‘tick all the boxes’in relation to the ideal land
mobility facilitation strategy as they enable young ambi-
tious farmers become formal partners in the farm business,
whilst also allowing for the older generation to remain
actively engaged in farming and embedded in the farm-
ing community, as their continued guidance and lifelong
knowledge is considered to be invaluable to the future
development of the farm (Ingram and Kirwan, 2011;
Hennessy, 2014). Although a national Land Mobility
Service similar to the one in the Republic of Ireland has
not been explicitly established elsewhere in the European
Union to date, there are a number of analogous ‘match-
making’initiatives in existence throughout Europe that
link farmers to available land as well as connecting new
farmers with older ones, leading to a better return for all
parties involved. For example, Perspektive Landwirtschaft
(Perspective Agriculture) in Austria; Répertoire Départ
Installation (Directory Departure Installation) and Terre
de Liens in France; Hof sucht Bauer in Germany; Banca
delle Terre Agricole (National Bank of Agricultural
Lands) in Italy, and Landgilde and Boer zoekt Boer
(Farmer Seeks Farmer) in the Netherlands.
6. Conclusion
Given the importance of land mobility in achieving
generational renewal in agriculture, and the extent to
which low levels of mobility can hinder structural devel-
opment and growth within the farming sector, increasing
access to land for young farmers and new entrants is one
of the European Commission’s key priorities in the
upcoming CAP reform. Traditional patterns of inheri-
tance, in addition to a highly competitive land mar-
ket and inflated land prices however have resulted in
extraordinary socio-economic challenges for new entrants
International Journal of Agricultural Management, Volume 9 ISSN 2047-3710
&2020 International Farm Management Association and Institute of Agricultural Management 9
S.F. Conway et al. Mobilising Land Mobility in the European Union
aspiring to pursue farming as a career, as well as for young
farmers seeking additional land to develop a more viable
farming enterprise.
As every farm and farmer is unique throughout
Europe, there are no uniform or easily prescribed solu-
tions to resolving this conundrum, however the Republic
of Ireland’s Land Mobility Service example discussed in
this view point paper demonstrates the value of ‘match-
making’models and structures in helping to increase
the availability of land for farmers and new entrants. By
providing a function for intergenerational cooperation,
whilst also allowing for greater recognition, financial
independence and leadership opportunities for the youn-
ger generation; collaborative farming models facilitated
by such a service can also assist in alleviating concerns of
an ageing farming population and maximize production
efficiency and competitiveness.
With regard to access to land across the EU as a
whole however, whilst CEJA –the European Council of
Young Farmers, have actively been promoting innova-
tive ‘match-making’models of collaboration between
generations to help young people commence and develop
their farming careers, the major problem in rolling out
such initiatives is the fact that policies and regulations
relating to land differ considerably across Member
States. This, combined with the scarcity of literature
andacademicdiscussiononaccesstolandinaEuro-
pean context, means that provision should be made for
a major study to investigate the factors which influence
land mobility in each of the 27 EU Member States.
By focusing on the key policy and structural issues
affecting the process, such a study could inform an
integrated EU-wide land mobility policy aimed at
facilitating generational renewal in agriculture.
About the authors
Dr Shane Francis Conway is a Postdoctoral Researcher
in the Discipline of Geography’s Rural Studies Unit at
NUI Galway.
Dr Maura Farrell is a Lecturer in Rural Geography and
Principal Investigator on the RURALIZATION Project
in the Discipline of Geography at NUI Galway.
Dr John McDonagh is a Senior Lecturer in Rural
Geography in the Discipline of Geography at NUI
Galway.
Anne Kinsella is a Senior Research Officer at Teagasc
Rural Economy Research Centre (REDP), where she
specialises in the area of production economics and farm
level analysis.
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