Impact of selected land fragmentation parameters and spatial rural settlement patterns on the competitiveness of agriculture: Examples of selected European and Asian countries.

Existing methods of assessing land fragmentation (LF) are mainly based on analysis of parameters at the level of plots and individual farms. However, existing methods appear to be insufficient in the assessment of the spatial structure of land at the regional and national levels. The aim of the research is to propose an effective way of comparing the land fragmentation parameters that determine the profitability of agriculture. To estimate the parameters of large-area land fragmentation, data on the spatial distribution of rural settlements and on average land fragmentation parameters were used. A grid-based structure was employed. The grid cell size represents the average size of plots, whereas the numerical values associated with grid cells represent the minimum distances of plots from farm buildings. Using the aforementioned grid and data on the impact on operating costs of plot size and distance from settlements, spatial indicators were obtained that show the diversity of economic costs related to the examined land fragmentation parameters. The obtained results showed a very large variation in the operating conditions of the farms, depending on the LF parameters. The average size of cultivated fields ranges from 0.5 ha (Pakistan) to 67.2 ha (Slovakia), while the average distance of plots from farm buildings ranges from 334 m (China) to 2781 m (Turkey), although the maximum observed values for straight-line distances significantly exceed 7 km, and this value increases to 10 km when the orthogonal layout of roads is taken into account. The density of field boundaries varies from 250 m/ha to over 3500 m/ha, and the associated estimated loss of cultivated area may reach 1.5% of the total cultivated land area (Pakistan). In economic terms, the variability in land cultivation costs related to the size of plots and their distance from buildings varies from 535 EUR/ha/year (Slovakia) to 1412 EUR/ha/year (Greece), which indicates a nearly threefold difference in this aspect. The proposed approach should facilitate an assessment of the competitiveness of agriculture in individual countries. It can also be used when planning land consolidation projects, assessing the risks associated with land abandonment, estimating the negative impact on the environment of fossil fuel combustion effects in agriculture, and determining the impact of land fragmentation parameters on poverty and migration phenomena in rural areas. [Display omitted] • Land fragmentation parameters and cost of land cultivation for areas in 15 countries in Europe and Asia were examined. • The average field size varied from 0.5 ha to more than 67 ha. • The average distance of fields from farm buildings ranged from 334 to 2781 m. • The estimated variation in the average cost of land cultivation in the surveyed group of countries was over 260%. • Differences in land fragmentation parameters may determine the competitiveness of agriculture in various countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]