Individual farming as a labour sink: evidence from Poland and Russia
- Publication Type
- Journal contribution (peer reviewed)
- Authors
- Lerman, Z., Schreinemachers, P.
- Year of publication
- 2005
- Published in
- Comparative Economic Studies
- Band/Volume
- 47/4
- DOI
- 10.1057/palgrave.ces.8100068
- Page (from - to)
- 675-695
- Keywords
- sustainability
In Poland and Russia, which provide two widely different examples of transition countries, small-scale individual farms employ more labour per hectare of land than large-scale corporate farms without suffering from lower productivity. Individual farming is a labour sink for the rural population, and land policies promoting individualization of agriculture in transition countries can alleviate the social consequences of rural unemployment without sacrificing agricultural productivity. Pending long-term development of nonagricultural employment opportunities, the average transition country should encourage the rural population to remain in agriculture by emphasising individual rather than corporate farming.