Actors of Agrarian Economy in the Years of Transition

Abstract

The paper offers an insight into the results of a series of surveys studying the changes of the conditions of productive organisations in agrarian economy. The first chapter of the writing gives information on which co-operatives and company enterprises, active in agrarian economy, have gained and which of them have lost positions in the competition for retaining and acquiring resources. In the mirror of two kinds of sources (land use statistics of the Central Statistical Office, tax reports of economic organisations) it was proved that the limited companies, to be classified under the “small and middle” category in respect of size, represent the most dynamically developing form of enterprise, whereas the co-operatives are just at the opposite end. They are the representatives of the least stable post-socialist type of (large and middle) economic units, presumably continuing to lose positions, from which the production functions seem to slip away and which are apparently doomed to lose further property. The third, presumably growing type of economic organisation, which is expected to grow in number as well as significance, is represented by the joint stock companies, a significant part of which function as semi-state capitalist large estates. The second chapter of the paper presents the agricultural enterprises of a small area of the Plain where the agrarian sphere has an important role in the economy, constituting its base and occupying a central place in the set of knowledge, livelihood and family strategy of the local people. The “close up”, obtained by questionnaires and interviews made with the agricultural actors, presented from a “bird's eye view” in the first chapter - reports mostly about medium size units, struggling and experimenting with various company, or co-operative forms, and individual land users. Finally, talking about the relationship between agricultural economy and country development, the paper points out that the development of food production in similar regions like the one presented, is of crucial importance, but its manner requires the precise understanding of the structure of the local economy and society and of the area around, and also of the spatial relations of the actors, further on that support allocated from various sources should reach the different target groups, while it strengthens the developing structural elements.