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How agricultural are rural areas of Europe? Mapping European agriculture from core to periphery

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  • Lillemets, Jüri
  • Viira, Ants-Hannes

Abstract

The traditional view of agriculture as a remote, rural activity is contradicted by its actual prevalence near urban areas. This study investigated how agricultural land use and production actually correlates with distance from urban centers across Europe. The analysis integrated settlement, land cover, and agricultural data for 4.8 million 1 km² grid cells across non-urban Europe, examining agricultural indicators against distance from urban areas within each biogeographic region. This study reveals that agricultural land use in Europe is shaped by a historical legacy where settlements were founded on most productive land, creating modern core-periphery gradients. However, regional archetypes challenge a single core-periphery model. Towns have a stronger, more localized relationship on farming than cities. Peripheral areas are predominantly defined by traditional small family farms. Any urban proximity drives intensive land use. Thus, prime farmland is vulnerable to urban expansion, potentially threatening efficient food production, and agricultural subsidies fail to reach remote areas due to these inherent spatial biases. Fostering vibrant peripheries thus requires measures transcending agriculture, whereas a sustainable food system necessitates a comprehensive land use policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Lillemets, Jüri & Viira, Ants-Hannes, 2026. "How agricultural are rural areas of Europe? Mapping European agriculture from core to periphery," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:168:y:2026:i:c:s026483772600178x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108094
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