Multifunctionality of Farms – the Effects on Land Use Change

One of the main goal of the rural development researches is to find such trajectories which have positive impact on human welfare without negative effects on natural resources. In this paper we investigate, if multifunctionality of farms can be a sustainable development trajectory, focusing on land use. The aim of the study is to show links between different development paths and their impact on land use intensity at the farm household level. The research bases on the 30 structured in depth interviews conducted in Bavarian Mittelgebirge – Germany, during which the farmers or former farmers reported the 60 years farm’s history. The results show the general trend to extensify land use and prove that the larger farms are more active in provision of new function that their peers with smaller farm size. The broadening strategy is the only multifunctional form which ensures the extensive land use approach. This retrospective study can be useful for regions with fragmented agriculture, big share of family farms and highland landscape like south Poland, Rumanian or Slovak highlands, where the natural constraints in agriculture encourage to search for such development paths, which do not exceed the environmental limits while ensuring the socio-economical welfare of inhabitants.