Land reform and farm restructuring in East Central Europe and CIS in the 1990s: Expectations and achievements after the first five years

The countries of East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union have achieved considerable progress with land reform and farm restructuring since 1991. Yet the achievements fall short of original expectations, both in scope and in character. So far, agricultural transformation has not produced a quick increase in production; most land remains in collective ownership; most peasants prefer to remain in the safety of large cooperatives, which still dominate agriculture. The accomplishments of agrarian reform have been modest due to political and legal uncertainty, lack of a supportive environment, high risk, and inadequate mechanisms for farm restructuring and individual exit. The future agriculture in the region will be characterised by the coexistence of private farms, restructured cooperatives, commercial farms of various sizes, and part-time subsistence farms.