FORMATION OF LAND AND FARM STRUCTURE AT HUNGARY’S WESTERN GATE

As one of the three counties forming the West-Transdanubian Region and being the “western gate” of the country, Győr-Moson-Sopron County plays a significant role in Hungary’s agrarian sector due to its geographical location and natural characteristics. In accordance with the requirements of competitiveness and increasing efficiency by the county’s farms, the developing processes of concentration and specialisation are differentiated within various agricultural groups. While the number of private farms decreased and the average size of farms increased in recent years, the number of economic organisations increased slightly and their average area decreased. (Despite this the county’s corporations and cooperatives are still larger than the national average.) On the basis of the database of the County Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) and the results of two individual questionnaire surveys it can be stated that the structure of land ownership and land use is far from identical; the use of agricultural land shows a more rational structure than land ownership. On the basis of the average size of productive private farms these medium-sized concerns have a better chance of succeeding in the competitive market. To sum up our investigations we believe that the current farm unit/operational forms are sustainable in the long-term; particularly the medium-sized and larger corporations and private (family) farms