European agriculture is highly mechanised and its development is to a large extent shaped by the constant need for investment. By combining private capital with public funds, the risk burden associated with investment can be shared. The general economic objective of investment support is to improve the efficiency of production factors, such as labour, land and capital. The Rural Development Programme of the Czech Republic for 2007-2013 included a preferential criterion, the objective of which was to give an advantage to farms in Less Favoured Areas (LFA) by facilitating their access to funding for investments. This paper evaluates the investment activities of agricultural holdings located in Czech LFAs in the period 2011-2015, compared to those that are not located in LFAs. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify factors, such as LFA type, farm size, share of other revenues, indebtedness of a farm and stocking density of cattle, that infl uenced whether a farm was or was not supported with an investment subsidy. We conclude that supported farms in LFAs have higher levels of economic performance and higher labour productivity than unsubsidised farms. It is evident that many farms, especially in mountain areas, are interested in investment activities and are...

The study assesses the employment dynamics of LAU1 regions in Czechia (Czech Republic) in the period 2001-2011 using the territorial approach. It is operationalised on the basis of typological regions. Regions are differentiated fi rstly by their rurality according to the OECD methodology and the development of non-agricultural employment is used as the second differentiating characteristic. This refl ects the regional differentiation based on the character of regional employment development potential. The specifi cs of rural regions are highlighted. Employment dynamics are assessed in the light of the process of employment restructuring both in its territorial and sectoral characteristics. The results illustrate employment in the service sector to be a viable driver of employment development regardless the degree of rurality but in absolute effects conditioned by its value. Furthermore, employment development is conditioned by the sectoral structure of regional employment. Components of employment development are identifi ed by application of shift-share analysis. The strength of the competitive effect describing the existence of locational advantages for specifi c sectors is further relativised to calculate its relevance for employment change. In conclusion, the existence of locational advantages has only a minor impact in terms of its relative size on employment change that...