Agricultural Land Swaps: A tool to fight abandonment in rural areas

By project Down to Earth

Published on 25 November 2024

Spain

Galicia

About this good practice

The Land swaps project was promoted by a LAG in the Area of Lugo (Spain) in collaboration with another two LAGs (Pontevedra Norte and Asdecomor). This Cooperation Leader Project seeks to fight against abandonment of agro-lands, and improve agricultural productivity in Galicia. Within the framework of the Act for Agrarian Land Recovery (2021), this project has been implemented in three pilot areas, where fragmentation and small plots make it difficult for farms to be profitable. The project consisted of dynamizing and promoting by the LAGs, the exchange of plots among farmers, with the aim of reducing dispersion, increasing the size of the plots and facilitating more efficient management by farmers.
Swaps facilitates the concentration of land for farms, been faster and cheaper than Land Consolidation, reducing the number of scattered plots and the costs of travel for use of machinery.
Specifically, in the regions where livestock activity is intense and the dispersion of plots limits economic development, swaps make it possible to increase the territorial base of farms, favouring their sustainability and competitive improvement. This rapid restructuring facilitates the use of agricultural practices such as controlled grazing, which contribute to the prevention of forest fires by keeping the land clean. In addition, by consolidating a stable territorial base, the project also helps to stabilize the population in rural areas, creating new job opportunities.

Resources needed

The project was launched by the LAG Comarca de Lugo, in the Municipality of Friol. The Regional Government of Galicia awarded the project with an initial budget of €130.000 from EAFRD Rural Development Program (LEADER measure).

Evidence of success

Initially, swaps mobilized 400 hectares in the Municipality of Friol.
Swaps allows the land in an area to be reorganized within a period of approximately 6 months, so it is faster and cheaper process than Land Consolidation.
After the plot restructuring, the average amount of land per owner passed from 11 to 2 plots, and the size of these plots changed from 0,55 hectares to almost 3 hectares.

Potential for learning or transfer

This project has great learning and potential for transfer to other regions with problems of land fragmentation and agricultural abandonment. The project, based on voluntary agreements, allows the consolidation of parcels quickly and economically. In addition, the system has been shown to improve the profitability and management of the territory, by reducing abandonment and facilitating access to aid such as the CAP. It is particularly replicable in areas with similar situations, as it reduces legal and economic barriers for farmers. This experience can serve as a model in other rural regions of Spain and Europe, where land fragmentation limits agricultural and forestry development.