PRIVATIZATION AND FAMILY FARMS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN-EUROPE

In the former socialist countries the primary objective of the privati zation of agriculture is the establishment of family farms, and to imp rove their conditions of production. The ideological and political sig nificance of the family farm is comparable with the large-scale collec tivization of the previous political period. As a result of the varied conditions and possibilities, the transfer of previously collectivize d land and state-run farms shows striking differences between countrie s. These differences are described in detail. In general, the process of privatization is slow and has produced an ambiguous legal and econo mic situation, creating uncertainty for the private farms. The last pa rt of the paper describes the changes in social structure as a result of agricultural privatization. Family farms will become stronger, but not the sole form of agricultural production. Some of the co-operative s and state farms may continue to exist on the basis of new statutes, while it is expected that half of agricultural production will be prod uced by part-time farmers.