The current support policy is increasing gaps in land management intensity among different regions of the country. The support policy for agricultural and rural development does not deal with solutions for land abandonment or environmental objectives, because the abandonment is becoming a hidden, environmental policy and rural development process, which is more expensive for society. Some alternative approaches and principles for designing a new agricultural land policy for Latvia could decrease the policy costs and make land management more targeted and acceptable for society.

The basic agricultural structure in Poland consists of small and medium family-owned farmsteads. Public funds grant their support primarily to farmers capable of competing efficiently within the EU market. In most cases, that means farmsteads covering a larger area. It is the real property market that regulates the agrarian structure. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to present the situation on the farmland market in respect to Poland's membership in the European Union.

In the research was submitted agricultural land market in Poland, in the political system transformation conditions, with consideration it function, stimulating the structural change of farming including territorial structure. There were characterized changes occurring in polish country with indication of the following processes: growing strength of agricultural land market, increasing role of agricultural lands' lease and also progressive process of land concentration and changing ownership relations.

The aim of the research is to analyse the landscape structure changes from the end of the Soviet times in 1974–1986 until 2005 when market economy existed in Lithuania. The changes of landscape structure were observed in 100 sample areas (squares) each of them having 2.5 km2 area and distributed in different landscape types. The changes in sample areas (squares) with determination of land cover structure transformations were observed using topographic photos and ortophoto images at a scale 1:10 000.

Writing topics actuality is based on the government proposed property tax increase of 2011 residential tax. Author of the article concludes that till now disproportionately spacious cadastral value range and its inadequacy towards resident income has restricted to establish a fair personal income and property tax proportionate to the objective of appropriate tax. Just now Latvia is experiencing huge increase in amounts of real estate tax debt and number of debtors.

A case-study approach is used to track research funding decisions made by the private seed sector. The three cases chosen provide a range of intellectual property protection (IPP) environments, crops, and companies, namely, (1) wheat in the United States and the European Union, (2) rootworm-resistant corn, and (3) hybrid tomatoes. The analysis suggests that IPP for US wheat is weak because growers are allowed to save seed and because breeders are responsible for the costs—both transactional and reputational—associated with enforcing those IPP rights that do exist.

The IFAMR is published by (IFAMA) the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. www.ifama.org

As a result of the Land Reform, property forming and land market, farm areas were often built up from a number of land plots (up to 20), sometimes with unfavourable order. With the rural development and stabilization of farm production, the role and tasks of rational territory organization are expected to increase significantly in the area. It can be forecasted that, as a result of land rent and further purchase and sell, and other transactions, many new farmland properties are expected to appear that will not correspond to the requirements of rational territorial organization.

The research aim is to assess taxes transferred to the budgets of local governments and to discuss possibilities for the expansion of tax revenues to be transferred to local government budgets. The research leads to the conclusion that the part of personal income tax deductions in local government budgets should be gradually increased up to 100% determining the personal income tax as local government tax thereafter. This could enhance the possibility to increase the financial independency and to strengthen the income base of local governments.

Soil maps for fields are one of the basic materials for farm development planning and assessment of the land's cadastre value. In order to find out the level of land users' awareness of soil forms and the agrochemical composition of the soil, and the implementation of this in farming practices, a survey of land users was carried out. Simultaneously, information was gathered on crop alternation in farms, crop alternation projects, their prevalence, and interest in such projects. Information on field history was also gathered.

Rural landscape of the southern part of Lithuania as well as its use is analysed in the article. The defects of land reclamation system cause the rise of deserted lands. Dampness and bagged up soils are a large obstacle for the proper use of deserted lands. One more reason is lands of low productivity. The third reason of the rise of deserted lands is the shortage and default of perspective farmers and agricultural companies who are able to lease and cultivate land.

Since the year 2000 with the help of the specialists from the Land Consolidation Division of the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, pilot land consolidation projects have been started. Besides the simple territorial readjustment of land parcels, these projects aimed to encourage local initiatives as well as to develop the land consolidation mechanism as an essential tool for the development of the integrated rural development including environment protection, development of infrastructure together with the creation of competitive farms.