Abstract:

The process of private farm development in the former socialist countries is taking a course which seems to be different from the original expectations of many Western observers. Farmers are not rushing to leave the large-scale socialized structures and establish independent farms on private land. Instead, the large-scale farms are reorganizing into associations of smaller productive subdivisions owned by team members which continue to rely on cooperative supply, marketing, and financial services provided by the central farm structures. The new independent farmers are also forming cooperative organizations to help them overcome the difficulties caused by non-existence of input and product markets. The farming structure is developing toward private production, both on family farms and in multi-family enterprises, which may be supported by nets of service cooperatives.

Publisher:  C. Csaki and Y. Kislev, eds., Agricultural Cooperatives in Transition, Westview Press, Boulder, CO (1993), pp. 3-19.