Differentiating farmers: opening the black box of private farming in post-Soviet states

Lee-Ann Sutherland ()

Agriculture and Human Values, 2010, vol. 27, issue 3, 259-276

Abstract: This paper addresses the question of farmer objectives associated with private farming in Eastern Europe. Drawing on qualitative interviews with private farmers in Bulgaria and southern Russia, the instrumental objectives of business development and job-replacement consistent with recent literature are demonstrated, but also intrinsic, social, and personal objectives, such as enjoyment of agricultural production, desire for independence, and proving oneself. These objectives are described in relation to associated farm size, investment practices, and succession plans, resulting in five idealized farming types which are similar in the two study states: agribusinessmen, primary farmers, pluriactive farmers, reluctant farmers, and minority horticulturalists. It is argued that differences in farming objectives have important implications for farming longevity and succession, opening up a research agenda for the study of private farming in post-Soviet states. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

Keywords: Farming typologies; Farming styles; Post-Soviet agrarian change; Russian agriculture; Bulgarian agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-009-9212-y

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