Typology of agricultural financing investment in Central Macedonia

Abstract

The object of this paper is to analyze the improvement plans included in the project “Investments in Agricultural Holdings” of the Operational Programme “Agricultural Development and Restructuring of the Countryside 2000-2006” in order to define similar farm clusters, based on economic parameters. The paper aims to examine the extent to which the inclusion of farms in Regional Operational Programmes, through the improvement plans, will actually strengthen their viability profile. At the outset, Cluster Analysis methodology is applied and two typologies are developed of farms incorporated into the Regional Operational Programmes for Central Macedonia. The typologies are determined by economic parameters, pertaining both to the farms’ current status (first typology), and their expected status after the realization of the investments (second typology), as described in the improvement plans. This is then followed by a description of the economic profile of the farm clusters and their respective level of viability. The viability profiles of the typologies seem to confirm the significance and effectiveness of the project “Investments in Agricultural Holdings”. Providing incentives and funding for investments to farms leads to an upgrading of their economic level and a rise in both their viability and competitiveness.