Farm diversification and market inclusion in East Europe and Central Asia

Bachev, Hrabrin (2012): Farm diversification and market inclusion in East Europe and Central Asia.

Abstract

This paper presents issues and challenges for farm and enterprise diversification and integration of small scale farmers into value chains in East Europe and Central Asia (EECA). First, it discuses context and approaches to agricultural and rural income diversification. Second, it assesses the extent of agricultural diversification in EECA. Third, it identifies issues, challenges and lessons learnt of the integration of small farmers into agricultural value chains in the region. Forth, it outlines options and areas of intervention to foster diversification and market inclusion of smallholders in EECA. Finally, it concludes with recommendations for improvement of public policies and international assistance.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: farm and income diversification, smallholders market inclusion, East European and Central Asian farming transformation, agrarian policies
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q17 - Agriculture in International Trade; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q13 - Agricultural Markets and Marketing ; Cooperatives ; Agribusiness; P - Economic Systems > P2 - Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies > P27 - Performance and Prospects; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R12 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q12 - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy

References

Bachev H. (2008). Governing of Environmental Problems and Impacts in Bulgarian Agriculture – Lessons for Central Asian Countries, in Environmental Problems of Central Asia and Their Economic, Social and Security Impacts, eds. J. Qi and K. Evered, Springer, The Netherlands, 327-347.

Bachev H. (2010): The state of integration of small scale farmers in value chains in Bulgaria – a case study on organic dairy sheep farming, FAO, 2010.

Barghouti S., Kane S., Sorby K. and Ali M. (2004). Agricultural Diversification for the Poor, Guidelines for Practitioners, Agriculture and Rural Development Discussion Paper 1, World Bank.

Csaki C., C.Forgács, D.Milczarek, and J.Wilkin (Editors) (2008). Regional Outcome: Central and Eastern Europe. Restructuring market relations in food and agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe - Impacts upon small farmers. Agroinform, Budapest.

McNally S. (2001). Farm diversification in England and Wales — what can we learn from the farm business survey? Journal of rural studies, 17 (2), 247-257.

The Role of Agriculture and Farm Household Diversification in the Rural Economy of Germany, OECD.

The Role of Agriculture and Farm Household Diversification in the Rural Economy of Canada, OECD.

Goletti F. (1999). Agricultural Diversification and Rural Industrialisation as a Strategy for Rural Income Growth and Poverty Reduction in Indochina and Myanmar, MSS Discussion Paper No. 30.

IFPRI, Washington DC; Delgado C. (2000). Agricultural diversification and export promotion in sub-Saharan Africa, IFPRI, Washington DC.

Proceedings of National Workshop "Small Farm Diversification", New Delhi 1995.

Chaplin H., Davidova S. and Gorton M. (2004). Agricultural adjustment and the diversification of farm households and corporate farms in Central Europe. Journal of Rural Studies, 20, 61-77.

Garnevska E., J. Edwards, and D. Vaughan (2006). Farm diversification opportunities in Bulgaria – the perceptions of farmers in the Plovdiv region – a preliminary analysis, Journal of International Farm Management Vol.3. No.2, 1-14.

FAO (2010). Income Diversification for Sustainable Development of European and Central Asian Rural Areas – Role of FAO, Agenda Item 7, 36th Session, FAO European Commission on Agriculture, Yerevan, 11-12 May 2010.

Johnson G. and Scholes K. (2002). Exploring Corporate Strategy - text and cases. London: Prentice Hall.

Pingali, P., and M. Rosegrant (1995). Agricultural commercialization and diversification: processes and policies. Food policy. Volume 20, number 3, 171-185.

Damianos D. and Skuras D. (1996). Farm business and the development of alternative farm enterprises: an empirical analysis in Greece. Journal of rural studies, 12 (3), 273-283.

Prag P. (2000). Rural diversification. London: Estate Gazette.

Eurostat, Living conditions in 2008, Newsrelease 10/2010.

World Bank Rural Population Data.

Eurostat, EU-Agricultural Census, Preliminary Results, 2010.

Davis J. and Pearce D. (2000). The Rural Non-farm Economy in Central and Eastern Europe, Discussion Paper No. 04, Natural Resources Institute, Kent.

Eurostat, Employment in the agriculture sector, Newsrelease 66/2010.

Proctor, F. and Digal L. (2008). Opportunities for small-scale producers’ inclusion in dynamic markets in developing countries and transition economies: A synthesis of findings from eight country level chain-wide learning workshops. Regoverning Markets Working Paper, IIED, London.

Other gainful activities: pluriactivity and farm diversification in EU-27, European Commission, 2008.

Proceedings of National Workshop "Small Farm Diversification", New Delhi, 1995, 97-111.

U.De and M. Chattopanhyay (2010). Crop Diversification by Poor Peasant and Role of Infrastructure: Evidence from West Bengal, Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, Vol. 2(10), 340-350.

Maji C. and Rahim K. (1995). An Investigation into Small Farm Diversification: Some Case Studies in West Bengal, in Proceedings of National Workshop "Small Farm Diversification", New Delhi, 97-111.

Enabling environment for producer-agribusinesses linkages in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, FAO Consultation, November 29-December 1, 2011, Ankara.

Case study on organic cherry value chain in County of Szabolcs, FAO, 2011.

Copus A., C. Hall, A. Barnes, G. Dalton, P. Cook, P. Weingarten, S. Baum, H. Stange, C. Lindner, A.Hill, G. Eiden, R. McQuaid, M. Grieg, M. Johansson (2006). Study on Employment in Rural Areas, Final Deliverable, SAC.

COST Foresight 2030, Benefitting from the Digital Revolution, Workshop on Food Security, Workshop Report, 30 June to 2 July 2009 Gent.

The Role of Agriculture and Farm Household Diversification in the Rural Economy of Germany, OECD. The Role of Agriculture and Farm Household Diversification in the Rural Economy of Canada, OECD.