Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Transition Countries: The Experience of Bulgaria, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan

by Nora Dudwick, Karin Fock, David Sedik

Overview

In the past fifteen years, most countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States have shifted from predominantly collective to more individualized agriculture. These years also have witnessed the largest fall in agricultural production, yields, and rural employment on record, while the deterioration and dissolution of collective and state farms have been accompanied by a significant drop in rural public services. 'Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Transition Countries' provides a structured and comparative review of important aspects of land reform and documents important differences in policies between countries to examine why the reforms have not yet lived up to their potential. It is based on data from farm and household surveys and interviews conducted in 2003 and 2004. Case studies from Bulgaria, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan-countries that have had particular difficulties in land reform, farm restructuring, farm performance, or rural poverty-each highlight a central conundrum about land reform and farm restructuring. The paper concludes with some implications for policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780821370889
Publisher:	World Bank Publications
Publication date:	05/30/2007
Series:	World Bank Working Papers , #104
Pages:	106
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Language:	Russian

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     vii
Executive Summary     ix
Introduction     1
Bulgaria: With Good Overall Prospects, Good Agricultural Policy, and Good Governance Indicators, Why Are Bulgarian Rural Households So Badly Off?     5
The Context of Land Reform     5
Agricultural Production and the Design and Implementation of Land Reform     7
Local Government Reforms and Public Service Funding     8
Disposition of Land Received     8
Economic Performance of Farms     10
Well-being of Rural Households     13
Rural Services, Social Benefits, and Community Life     14
Conclusions     15
Moldova: With a Well-designed Land Reform Shaped Greatly by Donors, Why Have Farms in Moldova Not Performed Better?     17
The Context of Land Reform     17
Agricultural Production and the Design and Implementation of Land Reform     19
Local Government Reforms and Public Service Funding     21
Disposition of Land Received     22
Economic Performance of Farms     22
Well-being of Rural Households     25
Rural Services, Social Benefits, and Community Life     26
Conclusions     27
Azerbaijan: With Some of the Poorest Governance Indicators in theCIS, How Did Azerbaijan Implement a Land Reform that Was Viewed by Farmers as Quite Fair and that Led to a Substantial Increase in Productivity?     29
The Context of Land Reform     29
Agricultural Production and the Design and Implementation of Land Reform     31
Local Government Reforms and Public Service Funding     32
Disposition of Land Received     34
Economic Performance of Farms     34
Well-being of Rural Households     35
Rural Services, Social Benefits, and Community Life     39
Conclusions     40
Kazakhstan: Why Does Kazakhstan Have Surprising Results from a Poor Reform?     43
The Context of Land Reform     43
Agricultural Production and the Design and Implementation of Land Reform     44
Local Government Reforms and Public Service Funding     48
Disposition of Land Received     49
Economic Performance of Farms     51
Well-being of Rural Farming Households     55
Rural Services, Social Benefits, and Community Life     56
Conclusions     56
General Conclusions and Implications for Policy     59
Appendixes
Four-country Tables and Figures     67
Background Information on World Bank Survey of Farms, 2003      81
References     85