Search Evaluation Publications

Summary of the results for the Evaluation Questions in Focus Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, 5D, 5E. As part of the accompanying evaluation of the Austrian Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, in the Annual Implementation Report 2019 the relevant Focus Areas of biodiversity, water, soil, climate and animal welfare as well as additional effects have been assessed. 

The report focuses on the importance of Strategic Priority 1 within the NRN Programme, as well as that of the effects resulting from the implementation of the related interventions for the entire Italian RDP.  

The report gives an overview of the measures related to Priorities 4 and 5 of the Estonian Rural Development Plan 2014-2020; The evaluation of the 'Animal Welfare' and Priority 2 'Stonewall' activities carried out.

The purpose of the evaluation is to examine the progress of the development plan in relation to its objectives, using results and, if necessary impact indicators; make suggestions for improvements of the development plan and thereby increase the quality of the implementation of grants.

• The first chapter of the report provides an overview of the legal framework for evaluation, the implementation of measures, evaluation activities and evaluation notification.
• The second chapter describes the agricultural land use of the area covered by area payments, including
  • separate nitrate sensitive area and land use of river basins.
• The third chapter focuses on the details of the analysis of the measures.

This report collects the value of the year 2018 and previous years of the 35 environmental indicators of the RDP Environmental Monitoring Programme, providing a sufficiently representative time series for each indicator. The document contains a summary of the evolution of the indicators and a section with the analysis of the results and the methodological sheet at the indicator level.  The indicators cover a wide range of topics in the agri-food and forestry sector: consumption (energy, fertilizers, pesticides, water), pollution of agricultural origin in water and soils, erosion, GHG and ammonia emissions, surfaces, ecological production systems and biodiversity.

This is the second thematic evaluation and aims to understand the contributions of the regional programs to the improvement of environmental sustainability and, where possible, the effects of interventions financed by the programs.

In the monitoring scheme for the determination of Slovene Farmland Bird Index we survey 113 plots which are distributed across the farmland in the whole of Slovenia. We surveyed 92 plots in 2017. The composite index of 29 indicator species of farmland birds was for the year 2017 76,1 which is 0.9% more than in 2016. The composite index of the meadow species was in 2017 64,7 which is 2.1% more than in 2016. The trend of Slovene Farmland Bird Index is moderate decline for the period 2008‐2017. The index of meadow species has the same trend. The population trends of 15 out of 29 species are in decline and 10 out of 29 are stable or in increase. The current interannual increase doesn't necessarily mean the turn of the trend yet. 

This survey mapped the economic situation of rural entrepreneurs, looking at the structural change in enterprises from 2007 compared to 2017, as well as the most common economic indicators and financial ratios in the period 2014–2018. Farmers, food processors and rural entrepreneurs were also interviewed on their economic status, action and investment plans, competitiveness, export and joint activities, knowledge transfer and risk management. 

Data were collected on the agricultural use of permanent grassland and the occurrence of valuable biotope types and grassland-bound bird species at the level of small-scale production areas. In addition, a written survey of 1,848 Austrian farmers was carried out, particularly on their motives for past and planned changes in the management intensity of permanent grassland.

The 2019 report is designed for more condensed and quantitative assessment results to be able to aggregate them more easily with results from other EU countries. The 2019 evaluation report focuses on a possible comprehensive evaluation of the results and effects of RDP (MEPL III).

The report contains suggestions on how to make the payments to natural and cultural environments in future rural programs more environmentally friendly. This is to ensure that future programs will achieve a higher goal fulfilment and cost efficiency.