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Pathways to Commercialisation of Semi-Subsistence Farms: Lessons Learnt from Rural Transformation in Central and Eastern European Countries

Year of publication 2016

Pages 17 p.

Author Fredriksson, L.;Bailey, A.;Davidova, S.;Gorton, M.;Traikova, D.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) This paper investigates the determinants of, and barriers to, the increased commercialisation of subsistence and semi-subsistence farmers in three regions within each of five Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia). Collectively, these five countries account for 82 per cent of semi-subsistence farms in the European Union (EU) (Eurostat, 2007). The selected countries present a variety of regional contexts, followed different pathways of rur al transformation and agricultural transition, and possess different degrees of rurality and dependence on farming. The study employs a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. The analysis presented utilises cross-regional survey data along with follow-up qualitative interviews with a sub-sample of households in 2010 and 2014. The quantitative analysis tests the significance of factors assumed to determine market integration. As a complement, the qualitative analysis helps, first, to dee pen our understanding of the dynamic effects of these determinants, and second, to produce additional insights which may be difficult to quantify. Results suggest the absence of subsistence poverty trap. Market engagement depends on market access costs which vary with location, the household’s endowment of productive assets, specialisation, and risk propensity. .

Language English

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