agronomy Article The Regional Efficiency in the Use of European Agricultural Funds in Spain: Growth and Employment Analyses Miguel Blanco 1, Marcos Ferasso 2 and Lydia Bares 1,* 1 Department of General Economics, University of Cadiz, Avenue Enrique Villegas Velez, 2, 11002 Cadiz, Spain; [email protected] 2 Institute of Scientific Research and Graduate School, Universidad de Lima, Av. Javier Prado Este, 4600, Lima 15023, Peru; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-956-015-472 Abstract: After World War II, the European Union launched the Common Agricultural Policy. Since then, this programme has been adapting to the new economic and social realities that the European agricultural sector has been going through. Currently, a large part of this programme has been financed with the European Agricultural Guarantee Funds and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Two packages of funds have been approved in recent decades: one for the 2007–2013 and another for the 2014–2020 periods. This research has had as its main objective to determine whether the Spanish regions maintain homogeneous levels of efficiency in the use of these resources in the management of agricultural programmes from a growth and employment perspective. A methodology that is frequently used by researchers in the efficiency analyses has been chosen: data envelopment analysis. Among the main conclusions obtained are that the efficiency in the management of agricultural funds is very uneven among the studied Spanish regions. Furthermore, these differences are maintained throughout the analysed periods. This study suggests changes and Citation: Blanco, M.; Ferasso, M.; proposes criteria for the allocation of European resources to finance the projects presented by the Bares, L. The Regional Efficiency in Spanish regions. the Use of European Agricultural Funds in Spain: Growth and Keywords: agricultural efficiency; growth; employment; data envelopment analysis Employment Analyses. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1109. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/agronomy11061109 1. Introduction Academic Editor: Derek Baker The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was created with the aim of ensuring the supply of agricultural products to the European population in an environment of food Received: 24 April 2021 shortage caused by the effects of the Second World War [1]. Accepted: 27 May 2021 Published: 29 May 2021 Starting in the 1980s, the philosophy of this programme drastically changed. If in previous decades there was a decided public intervention on prices and quantities to ensure Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral supply to the people, from that date onwards, there is a considerable surplus of production with regard to jurisdictional claims in that could put the European agricultural system at risk [2]. This situation originated the published maps and institutional affil- first great reform of the system, which is known as the McSharry reform. This reform iations. started establishing income support for farmers through payments per hectare and head of livestock and the establishment of measures to improve agricultural structures instead of traditional production aid [3]. In the year 2000, a new reform called Agenda 2000 was produced. The main points of it were the establishment of direct income support, the decrease in institutional prices, Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. the increase in competitiveness of European agriculture, and the establishment of a rural This article is an open access article development policy [4]. Starting in 2003, the European Union (EU) established the so-called distributed under the terms and system of direct aid to farmers known as Single Payment. New targets related to climate conditions of the Creative Commons change, biodiversity, energy, and water management were introduced in 2008. Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// Subsequently, the so-called Political Agreement, established in June 2013, has been to creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ unify the aid to farmers with compliance with a series of environmental standards greening 4.0/). to achieve a more sustainable CAP [5]. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1109. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061109 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy Agronomy 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 18 Agronomy 2021, 11, 1109 Subsequently, the so-called Political Agreement, established in June 2013, has2 been of 17 to unify the aid to farmers with compliance with a series of environmental standards greening to achieve a more sustainable CAP [5]. TheThe EuropeanEuropean agriculturalagricultural policypolicy isis financedfinanced mainlymainly byby the the European European Agricultural Agricultural GuaranteeGuarantee FundFund (EAGF)(EAGF) andand thethe EuropeanEuropean AgriculturalAgricultural FundFund forfor RuralRural Development Development (EAFRD).(EAFRD). The The distribution distribution of of these these funds funds is is carried carried out out at at the the European European level, level, taking taking into into accountaccount thethe relativerelative regionalregional wealthwealth ofof thethe membermember states.states. Specifically,Specifically,there there are are currently currently threethree categories categories of of regions: regions: •• LessLess developed developed regions: regions: those those whose whose gross gross domestic domestic product product (GDP) (GDP) per per capita capita is is less less thanthan 75% 75% of of the the average average GDP GDP of of the the EU-27. EU-27. •• RegionsRegions inin transition:transition: thosethose whosewhose GDPGDP perper capitacapita isis betweenbetween 75%75% andand 90%90% ofof the the averageaverage GDP GDP of of the the EU-27. EU-27. •• MoreMore developeddeveloped regions:regions: thosethose whosewhose GDPGDP perper capitacapita isis aboveabove 90%90% ofof the the average average GDPGDP ofof the the EU-27. EU-27. InIn FigureFigure1 ,1, we we present present the the distribution distribution of of funds funds per per hectare hectare of of each each Spanish Spanish region. region. TheThe toptop regionsregions thatthat receivedreceived mostmost percentagepercentage ofoffunds fundsare arethe theCanary CanaryIslands Islands (25.70%),(25.70%), GaliciaGalicia (11.97%), (11.97%), Asturias Asturias (7.72%), (7.72%), Basque Basque Country Country (6.70%), (6.70%), Madrid (5.28%),Madrid and (5.28%), Andalusia and (5.05%).Andalusia The (5.05%). remaining The 11 remaining regions have 11 regions a distribution have a distribution of funds below of funds 5%. below 5%. Figure 1. Distribution of funds per hectare in Spain (Source: Own elaboration from data published Figure 1. Distribution of funds per hectare in Spain (Source: Own elaboration from data published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food). by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food). InIn addition, addition, there there is is aa commitmentcommitment toto co-financingco-financing byby thethe membermember states.states. Specifically,Specifically, forfor this this type type of of fund, fund, it it ranges ranges between between 53% 53% and and 85%. 85%. InIn recentrecent decades,decades, twotwo packagespackages ofof funds funds have have beenbeen approved: approved: oneone forfor thethe period period 20072007 toto 20132013 andand anotheranother forfor 20142014 to to 2020. 2020. InInthe the latter, latter,€ €99,586,45199,586,451,994,994 were were allocated allocated to to financefinance agricultural agricultural projects, projects, of which of €8,297,388,821which €8,297,388,821 corresponded corresponded to Spain. Subsequently, to Spain. andSubsequently, taking into and account taking the into high account degree the of territorialhigh degree decentralisation of territorial decentralisation of the country, theseof the resourcescountry, these are distributed resources are among distributed the Spanish amon regionsg the Spanish that have regions their that own have competences their own bothcompetences in agrarian both matters, in agrarian as well matters, as in the as management, well as in the application, management, and application, justification and of thejustification European of Funds. the European The Common Funds. Agricultural The Common Policy Agricultural Reform of 2013Policy introduced Reform of a new2013 basicintroduced payment a schemenew basic for payment farmers, whichscheme was for also farmers, applied which in the was eighteen also memberapplied states.in the Theeighteen Basic member Payment states. Scheme The is intendedBasic Payment to provide Scheme basic is intended income support to provide for farmersbasic income and, thus,support contribute for farmers to the and, viable thus, production contribute of foodto the in theviable EU withoutproduction distorting of food production in the EU decisions. Among all the direct payments received by farmers in the EU, through the different financial mechanisms of the Common Agricultural Policy, the most important of them all is the Basic Payment Scheme [6]. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1109 3 of 17 Table1 presents the distribution of the EAGF and EAFRD funds in the 17 Spanish regions. Table 1. Distribution of EAFRD and EAGF funds in Spanish regions (Source: Own elaboration from data published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food). EAFRD EAGF 2007–2013 2014–2019 2007–2013 2014–2019 ANDALUSIA 1,152,232,636 1,019,670,477 9,654,187 1,316,063,405 ARAGON 322,474,820 272,145,901 2,371,820 388,613,223 ASTURIAS 261,094,682 126,472,228 268,800 38,385,231 BALEARIC ISLANDS 25,891,937 40,604,327 130,551