Abstract
Abstract Since the end of socialism, Romania’s agricultural landscape has changed notably. In the 1990s, following decollectivisation, many Romanian farmers who received back small individual plots, pooled their land and resources with family and neighbours to cultivate in groups, or joined large agricultural associations for marketing. Subsequent decades have seen an aging population, reverse urban to rural migration, the country’s entry into the EU in 2007, and new financial support for farmers, both from the EU and the Romanian government. Given these changes, how many of the old group farms are still active? Are new ones emerging? And is there still a case for farmer cooperation in agriculture, as is being encouraged by the Romanian government? This is the first paper that addresses these questions, by seeking to trace the 1990s group farms and associations in Iasi and Ialomita counties and interviewing the members. Using a longitudinal approach and qualitative insights, it analyses what factors enabled some groups to continue and led others to dissolve. New groups, formed after 2005, were also located and analysed. An aging membership, outmigration of youth, and conflicts among members primarily underlay group farms becoming inactive, while many large associations went bankrupt. The still-active group farms were those able to mechanise and enlarge farm size with leased in land, drawing on new funding options and younger people to take over. Also, both the old active groups and newly formed ones typically specialise in livestock and dairy which require more labour and coordination. It is in such activities that we might also expect a future for cooperation among Romanian farmers.
Highlights
In the 1990s, Romania decollectivised its agriculture under the Law on Agricultural Land Resources (Law 18/1991)
In a context where a large proportion of farms in Romania remain small and fragmented, it is important to consider the potential of creating cooperative ventures in agriculture, including both group farms and larger associations, as institutional solutions
On the basis of our qualitative survey, we were able to follow-up on group farms and large cooperative associa tions, formed in the 1990s after decollectivisation, to examine which were still active, which had dissolved, and in which context new ones were emerging
Summary
In the 1990s, Romania decollectivised its agriculture under the Law on Agricultural Land Resources (Law 18/1991). As farmers age and are unable to farm by themselves or in small groups, they have two choices: either to expand into large mechanised farms, especially if the family can induct younger members as entrepreneurs to continue farming, or to lease out their land to other farmers who have the means to expand farm size. These developments, in turn, raise several interesting questions, such as: how long did the 1990s group farms survive under these changing conditions?
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