Development of Individual Farming in Georgia: Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons

Gogodze, Joseph and Kan, Iddo and Kimhi, Ayal (2005): Development of Individual Farming in Georgia: Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the situation of individual farms in Georgia using a survey conducted in 2003, in comparison to a similar survey conducted in 1996. The basic issue investigated is the progress of the land individualization process, and the consequences of this process for the development of the agricultural sector, and more generally for the well-being of farm families and rural poverty. We found significant changes in the farm sector. In particular, average landholdings have increased, mainly through leasing of plots. There is more specialization, with some farmers not producing at all and others expanding. Profits and income have deteriorated markedly, and many producers did not even sell their produce on the market. Those producers who leased land were much more likely to sell their produce on the market and they also had higher incomes and relied less on off-farm income and social assistance payments. Still, fewer than 15% of the farmers lease land. While the average age of the population has increased, the level of schooling declined. This indicates a possible “brain drain” process of selective outmigration. Another worrying implication of the income situation is the increase in the incidence of child labor. These findings indicate that the potential of increased land transactions is still there, and a continuing specialization process that will enable successful farmers to acquire more land could improve the economic well-being of farm families even in a period of depressed produce prices.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Individual Farming, Georgia
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D13 - Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O13 - Agriculture ; Natural Resources ; Energy ; Environment ; Other Primary Products; P - Economic Systems > P3 - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions > P32 - Collectives ; Communes ; Agriculture

References

1.Crop and Food Supply Situation in Georgia, Special Report,FAO, December 1999.

2.Lerman, Zvi. Land Reform and Private Farms in Georgia: 1996 Status, EC4NR Agriculture Policy Note No. 6, October 1996.

3.Shuker, Iain. Georgia: An Update of Agricultural Developments, Unpublished Manuscript, July 2000.