Land consolidation

A law of 16 June 1824 authorized the exchange of land between individuals in order to fight against the fragmentation of agricultural parcels and to improve productivity.

Land consolidation, known as Flurbereinigung, made possible landscapes being reshaped, for example with respect to construction of access roads.

[5] Following the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries of Europe in 1991, state farms were frequently divided into fragmented parcels.

This increases production costs by requiring time for farmers to move between fragments and makes use of machinery almost impossible.

In Uttar Pradesh in India a government program led to field boundaries being straightened and land areas as much as possible being reshaped in rectangular form.

This improved ease of cultivation, particularly plowing, and lessened disputes due to unclear border demarcations and encroachments.

The move has resulted in reduced labour costs and increased mechanization, and has also permitted some restructuring of irrigation systems.

However, soil quality is not the only factor in valuation as the value of a parcel can be affected by its position relative to roads, water supply, farm buildings and farmers' homes, as well as the value of trees or vines already planted on the land.