Revisiting the Issue of Land

Kalmár, Sándor

Keywords: land, farmer, economy, society, jury

It is quite clear that the land is the basis of agricultural production, its most stable factor. Given this fact, the question of land is interesting and important for agriculture. Together with this opinion, the land question comes up every day, furthermore in parliament discussion (Austria – Hungary – European Commission 2013/14). All this means that land is not only an issue for agriculture, but this is a complex, general economic, political and juristic issue. The land disputes come from its nature, because on one the hand land is a basic necessity of agriculture, on the other side it marks the country’s territory, the border. Every inhabitant needs land, because it provides dwelling and living space, furthermore, after life a burial space. Sport, industry and service activity are all connected to the land. It can be shown that all inhabitants and industry – in different ways – are connected to the land. The right land situation or its missing infl uences for everybody and everywhere, and gives favourable or not favourable impacts. Regarding land, the most stable factors are its scale, classification and quality, but the cultivation mode, the outputs and the land value more depend on humankind, i.e. farmers. The market plays a decisive role – through prices – in profit and profitability. Finally we have the role of society, where the economic regulations (tax, support, credit) and judicial background (ownership, lease) are the determining factors. As a result, politics and agriculture, and within them the question of land, have always been in organic connection, only the accent has changed depending on historical demands.

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