Perception of land consolidation by land owners: a case study

Abstract

Land consolidation in Slovak Republic is claimed to be negatively perceived, although, there is no empirical evidence of this. This is used by administration to interfere with land consolidation. Based on owners’ opinion in cadastral area of Malý Báb, where land consolidation was carried out, we show that a positive view on land consolidation prevails (almost 80%). Groups of respondents with inclination to a negative perception (e.g. the seniors with bad experiences in the past, ignorant juniors) were identified, problematic areas (e.g. communication, mistrust, contributions to environmental measures) and lack of information (e.g. people with a lower education and juniors) highlighted. It seems that a positive attitude on land consolidation could be achieved with well-informed owners, provided their views and concerns will be respected.