Figure 1
The map shows the regions of Germany shaded according to a color-coded legend positioned at the bottom right that indicates the “Average farm size by county,” with the following five categories: the lightest blue represents “greater than 13.6 ha,” the light blue represents “greater than 38.3 ha,” the medium blue represents “greater than 48.2 ha,” the dark blue represents “greater than 84.1 ha,” and dark gray represents “no data available.” The map outlines all German counties with visible borders and highlights six federal states using rectangular labels with arrows pointing to their locations: “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern” at the top (northern region), “Brandenburg” in the northeast, “Saxony-Anhalt” in the central-east, “Saxony” in the southeast, “Thuringia” to the west of Saxony, and “Bavaria” in the southern region. On the right side of the map, corresponding text labels list the number of farms per region as follows: “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1 farm,” “Brandenburg: 1 farm,” “Saxony-Anhalt: 5 farms,” “Thuringia: 36 farms,” “Saxony: 98 farms,” and “Bavaria: 2,058 farms.” The regions shaded in dark blue (“greater than 84.1 ha”) include Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and Thuringia, located in the northern and eastern parts of Germany, indicating the largest average farm sizes. The regions shaded in medium blue (“greater than 48.2 ha”) are found primarily in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and parts of Bavaria, representing medium-to-large average farm sizes. The regions shaded in light blue (“greater than 38.3 ha”) are visible in central and southern Bavaria, Hesse, and parts of Baden-Württemberg, showing moderate average farm sizes. The regions shaded in the lightest blue (“greater than 13.6 ha”) appear in western and southwestern Germany, including North Rhine–Westphalia, Saarland, and southern Rhineland-Palatinate, representing smaller average farm sizes. The counties shaded in dark gray, primarily in western and southwestern Germany, such as Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and portions of Baden-Württemberg, indicate “no data available.”Location of the farms under study and average farm size in Germany by county in 2020. Source: Own representation based on map and data from Destatis (2023)