The Use of Regional Typologies in the Assessment of Farms’ Performance

In this chapter we explore whether the economic and environmental performance of farms is affected by regional characteristics. We use farm intensity - measured as agricultural output per hectare - as an indicator for the economic and environmental performance of farms. Regional characteristics are captured by designing three regional typologies, based on rurality, the stage of economic development and the presence of Less Favoured Areas. Our analysis covers 100 regions in the EU15 and is based on 2 years: 1990 and 2003.