As part of Vision 2028+, it became evident that farmers across all types of farms find the growing administrative requirements increasingly challenging. Against this backdrop, the research project “Making Bureaucracy Accessible” aimed to examine which specific requirements farmers in Austria must meet, which institutions impose them, how much time they take, and which aspects farmers perceive as particularly burdensome or helpful.
The study provides both theoretical and practical insights into the structure of agricultural bureaucracy. It develops a clear definition of bureaucracy in agriculture and uses case studies to illustrate the bureaucratic realities of everyday farm life. At the same time, it explores the added value of bureaucracy, the criticisms it faces, and the role of digital tools in easing administrative work.
The findings are based on twelve case study farms of various types, along with thirteen expert interviews with representatives of public and private institutions responsible for imposing or overseeing these requirements. Both the interviews and case studies were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. This exploratory approach offers in-depth insights without claiming representativeness.
A podcast about the project is available at Bürokratie in der Landwirtschaft – was wirklich belastet - 171. Podcast
Further information about the project can be found under https://dafne.at/projekte/burokratie.
Project duration: September 2024–February 2026
Project leader: Theresa Eichhorn (University College for Agricultural and Environmental Education)
Project team members: Sarah Lappöhn (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research), Leopold Kirner (University College for Agricultural and Environmental Education), Franz Fensl (LBG Austria), Otto Hofer (Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management), Franz Hunger (Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture), Siegfried Pöchtrager (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences)
