In the recent years the issue of optimal size of the utilised agricultural area and its accessibility in particular regions has gained increased importance. Total area, types and conditions of the utilised agricultural area are essential to shaping and implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy. This research comprises investigation of the single area payment and the area payments done in scope of the Rural Development Programme for the time frame of 2007 – 2011.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of year-round-grazing systems and a conventional housing system for Japanese Brown fattening steers by the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Four treatments were designed in this study; grazing fattening without feed rice (G group), grazing fattening with feed rice (GR-1 and GR-2 groups) and conventional housing fattening (H group). For the three grazing groups (G, GR-1, GR-2), supplemental concentrate was constantly supplied and hay was supplied only in winter.

Recent studies have focused on the 'silent' agricultural revolution that occurred in rural West German society during the postwar period. The purpose of this paper is to provide a new framework by reviewing these recent studies in three research fields: (1) German rural social history, (2) the history of German agricultural policy, and (3) the ecological aspects of the land consolidation program ('Flurbereinigung').