Abstract

This paper studies the profitability of investments in agricultural land, using the rent-price ratio (RPR) as a profitability measure. In order to allow for district-level heterogeneity, the full conditional distribution of the RPR is modelled using a generalised additive model for location, shape and scale. The analysis is based on data from Lower Saxony, Germany. The profitability of investments in land varies between and within districts. The variation can be explained by differences in the farming structure, the production programme and economic indicators. Further, differences in the distribution of the RPR between arable land and grassland are found.

Keywords

agricultural land market; GAMLSS; heterogeneity; spatial statistics

Published in

European Review of Agricultural Economics
2022, volume: 49, number: 3, pages: 696-718
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Authors' information