Costs of forage production in disadvantaged mountain areas

Mountain grassland represents an important source of ecosystem services. Its conservation is best achieved by means of a site-specific agricultural use, but less-favoured areas are currently endangered by abandonment because of ongoing socio-economic changes. In order to get a reliable figure of the costs of forage production for the mountain meadows of South Tyrol, an assessment including machinery and personnel costs, as well as the respective working times, was conducted in 2011 for 100 plots on 19 grassland farms. Our results show a greater labour input as the steepness of meadows increases and the dimension of plots declines. Thus, as far as farmers are rational economic agents, specific compensation measures are required for the conservation of extensive grasslands.