Scholarly record

SURVEY OF HOLDINGS AS A TOOL FOR PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF NET IMPACT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

A. Veveris, J. Hazners, E. Benga

Abstract

The objective of the study is an adaptation of the survey method for the preliminary evaluation of the Rural Development Program (RDP) in short-term, when the quantitative data for the period is not yet available. A survey of agricultural holdings and enterprises (i.e., on-line questionnaires with an e-mail notification) was therefore designed, equally targeting the units supported and non-supported by the Program. The survey covered all regions of Latvia, with a total of 867 responses obtained. The responses were stratified upon the participation of the respondents in the Program, including a breakdown by specific Program Focus Areas. The validity of the survey results was verified by means of the ANOVA regression. The questionnaire was divided into three sets of questions. For the questions in the first set, an ordinal (dichotomous) scale with two possible answers was used. The second set was designed with an interval scale, assuming five possible answers. The answers obtained from the second set were used for the assessment of the changes in financial and economic variables of the respondentsВ’ holdings during the initial stages of the Program 2014-2020 (from 2014 to 2016). The last set included questions related to the changes in social and economic indicators in the local communities of the respondents from 2014 to 2016. The 5-point Likert scale was used in the third set. The obtained results allowed evaluating the net effect of the support by comparing the changes in both groups (supported and non-supported units). The comparison of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries suggests that the support is crucial in the promotion of long-term investments, agricultural output, market participation and, to a lesser extent, in the increase of income and employment. The questionnaire also allowed assessing the synergies between specific impact areas, like positive coherence between investments in agriculture and reduced use of fertilizers and pesticides per unit of area; activities in preserving and enhancing natural values; improved energy efficiency of equipment, technologies and buildings. The obtained results proved to be very useful for the evaluation purposes. They allowed identifying the areas of the Program with a significant positive impact (for example, an increase in the gross total investments and output for the direct beneficiaries) and areas with less than desired impact (creation of employment opportunities in the community, road improvement, social services). This method is also usable in addition to quantitative data for triangulation purposes. The financial and economic results obtained afterwards by quantitative techniques confirmed objectivity of the survey data.

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