land and usage structures and their impacts on rural livelihood in central europe katalin kovács...
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Land and usage structures and their impacts on rural livelihood in Central Europe
Katalin KovácsCentre for Regional Studies,Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Content
Agricultural restructuring of the CEE-s: an overview Farm structures in three Central European
countries Countries:
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary
Dimensions: share of large-scale/small-scale, similarities, differences, reasoning
(Small-scale) farming and livelyhood – the Hungarian case
Agricultural restructuring of the CEE-s
Models of collectivised agricultre
Stalinist (Romania, Albania)
Neo-Stalinist (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, GDR)
Hungarian
A Swain typology from 2000
De-collectivisation models
Rapid destructuring, then building up from grassroots Dominant: small-scale Secondary: medium-scale
company
Slow transformation Strong large-scale sector Multiple transformation rounds Weak small-scale sector
Rapid and relatively balanced transformation
Agricultural restructuring of the CEE-s Structuring principles
The overall economic conditions, the scale of state control over the events
The flexibility of late socialist collectivisation models, the presence of market-principles
Ownership relations Food-chain and inter-farm connections Preferences at policy-making level: privatisation +
restitution policies and legislations Power relations and preferences at grassroots level:
convictions, beliefs and expectations of elit and ordinary population circles
Agricultural restructuring of the CEE-s•Fragmented ownership
•Dual farm structure with low share of the middle: = the Western-like family farm model
Large-scale farm-dominated systems:
Czechia, Slovakia
Household plot dominated systems: Albania, Romania
Combined:
Hungary, Bulgaria
General outcome
Farm systems
S-m farms’ social role Not so
important Important
Very importan
t
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
Duality in the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian agriculture: farm categories by the number
and area of farms %, 2000
Farm sizeCategories
CzechiaSlovak Republic Hungary
number
area
number
areanumbe
rare
a
Below 10 ha 72 3 94 4 94 15
10-50 17 6 3 2 5 17
50-100 3 4 1 2 1 8
over 100 ha 7 88 3 93 1 60
Total 99 101 101 101 101 100
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
What statistics tell about: The overwhelming prevalence of large-scale
farms in the usage of agricultural land (the share of farms over 100 hectares) Slovakia (93%)
average large-scale farm size: 1200 ha in the Czech Republic (88%)
average large-scale farm size: 960 ha
Less so in Hungary (60%) average large-scale farm size: 600 ha
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, HungaryThe number of farms and their share in agricultural land-
use by legal titles, 2000
Countries Legal type of farmsNumber of
farmsShare %
Czech Republic
State undertakings 0 0
Co-operatives 728 28
Commertial companies 2,055 43
Individual farms 35,219 26
Other 168 1
Slovakia
State undertakings 1 0
Co-operatives 695 46
Commertial companies 707 29
Individual farms 5,292 7
Household plots n.a. 16
Hungary
State undertakings 0 0
Co-operatives 1,88650
Commertial companies 9,479
Individual farms 949,005 49Source: NIAE: The Future of Rural Areas in the CEE new Member States, pp 14-15
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
Further characteristics (data 2000) The role models of the collectivised agriculture,
producer co-operatives have been loosing out to a large degree, except Slovakia (46%)
An emerging wide variety of company and co-operative forms
Czechia took the lead in terms of the importance of companies as land operators (43%)
The individual forms of land-use is the strongest in Hungary (49%)
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
Ownership of agricultural land %
Land ownersCzech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
2003 2000 2004
Natural persons 72 76 83
Legal persons 28 24 17
of which state 17 24 11
cooperatives10
2
companies 3
others (LG,s, NGOs, churches)
1 1
Total 99 100 100
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
Land-use by title in Hungary (on the basis of registered arable land,
2002 august)
Area total (Ha) 3 168 229
Own property % 37
Ordinary rented schemes %
51
Rented on reciprocal basis %
12
other % 1
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
What case studies suggest about the characteristics of post-soc large-scale farms They are not so big, not so overstaffed, but … They are not so pluriactive, many opted for the „either” / „or” approach
(cropping / animal breeding); The „many own, few use” principle is still
prevalent as well as that of „the farms are run according to the managers’ and not the owners’ interests” (Fertő 1999)
Their interlinkages with small-scale farms diminished radically
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, HungaryThe characteristics of
the small-scale sector
Czechia + Hungary: 12-14% commertial farms
Czechia + Slovakia: relatively weak plot farming (14-16%)
Slovakia: weak individual commertial farm sector
Hungary: strong plot-farm sector (40-42%)
% in the area
„Farms”
„Plots”
Czechia 12 14
Szlovakia
7 16
Hungary
12-14 40-42
Farm structures in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary
Roots of differences Different starting models
Less developed small-scale sector in the former Czechoslovakia, restricted to household consumption and the local markets to a large extent – vs. integrated and specified small-scale farms
Ownership (landed property) Differences in
Land privatisation legislation (full restitution vs. „allotment + compensation + land auctions)
Privatisation of the assets Policies („pro”-s and „conra”s) Locally/culturally determined sentiments, beliefs
towards company-forms
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhood
The Hungarian case A huge drop of permanent jobs (80% of agricultural
jobs were lost) A continuous and sound drop of plot farms
20% between 1994-2000 (1.207.000 996.000) 20% between 2000-2003 (996.000 773.000)
The shrinking categories: Small-size plots, mostly the below 2 ESU size Semi-subsistence farms
The loss of integration with large-scale farms Concentration, specification as a response for the
challenges
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhood
Sound regional differences emerged, reflecting the profitability of farming the proximity of on-farm and off-farm jobs the rate of unemployment the composition of the population
age education „peasant traditions”
Spatial seggregation has become a major issue
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhoodThe share of under age pensioners within the group of retired people; deviation from the country
average (2003)
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhoodThe share of households without active employees. The
deviation form the country average (2001)
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhoodSocial crisis areas 2001
with profound social segregation the target area of the urban poorwith polarised pop. structureageing, emptying
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhoodThe proportion of family labour engaging in individual
farming in the % of the population over 15. Deviation from the country average 2000.
Small-scale farming and rural livelyhood Small-scale farming is strong
where people have no other choice than agriculture either as a first or a secondary source of income (in the latter case frequently as social transfer recipients)
Where „peasant” and entrepreneurial traditions are strong and natural endowment are favourable
Small scale farming is weak where there are other choices, on the spot or accessable
off-farm jobs, and/or elderly population is increasing
here professionalised and commertial small-scale farms and hobby farms are increasingly dominate the sector
where spatial seggregation of the poor (Roma + non-roma) population takes large holds
Concluding remarks
To provide remedy for the damages caused by globalisation, transformation, etc. in rural spaces long-term and realistic coping strategies should be developed jointly
The shrinkage of agricultural job-opportunities will continue as much as investors’ favoring urban spaces, therefore accessibility of urban areas becomes a key issue + Internet access
Primary education has a major importance in combating social segregation
Concluding remarks
Linkages should be promoted between small-scale production and the food
chain between the growing rural underclass and the
society at large As rural poverty seems to reflect the patterns
of spatial accumulation in peripheral rural districts in each country, a Europe-wide, joint integrated cohesion policy targeting rural peripheries should be developed or reinstalled as soon as possible