Problems and perspectives of land consolidation projects in the Republic of Lithuania

Since the year 2000 with the help of the specialists from the Land Consolidation Division of the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, pilot land consolidation projects have been started. Besides the simple territorial readjustment of land parcels, these projects aimed to encourage local initiatives as well as to develop the land consolidation mechanism as an essential tool for the development of the integrated rural development including environment protection, development of infrastructure together with the creation of competitive farms. Experience gained during these pilot projects (cadastral areas of Dotnuva and Akademija in Kedainiai district, cadastral areas of Puskelniai in Marijampole municipality and cadastral area of Pabaiskas in Ukmerge district) was used when preparing legal acts regulating land consolidation. In Lithuania, already fourteen land consolidation projects (which were finished in October of 2008) have been started since the year 2006 following the provisions of the legal acts regulating land consolidation. The total area of the consolidated land covered 4827 ha, 380 landowners with 731 land parcels took part in this process. During the time of the fulfilment of these projects, in order to form land parcels of rational size and form as well as to expand agricultural land holdings, the number of projected land parcels has reduced by 219. Best results were achieved in the land consolidation project of Deguciai cadastral area in Telsiai district (which covered the largest territory). After the enlargement of the land-ownership, 67 land parcels were formed instead of 115. According to the National Land Consolidation Strategy approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in 2008, it will be necessary to carry out the land consolidation gradually in the area of about 900.000 hectaresVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij