MODERNIZATION IN AGRICULTURE - DEVELOPMEN TS IN AUSTRIA AFTER WORLD-WAR-II - FINDINGS OF RESEARCH INTO AGRICULTURE WITHIN THE RESEARCH FOCUS OF THE FWF ON AUSTRIA - SPACE AND SOCIETY

In Austria a modernization of the rural society set in at a later date than in Western Europe, and was delayed even further by the economic crises of the interwar period. Only after 1945 there was a profound ch ange in structure that led to a marked decrease of the agricultural po pulation and in the number of holdings. In the 1951-1991 period the ag ricultural population dwindled to less than one fourth (23%) of the or iginal number, with distinct regional variations on the level of commu nes, though. As early as in 1951 the ratio of the primary sector was b elow 25% already in the central places and other industry-or trade-ori ented settlements, in 1961 the same ratio was to be found in the settl ements on the fringe of densely inhabited areas, later on in the commu nes with small holdings in areas with an equal division of inheritance s, then in the rest of the Alpine communes, and last of all in the per ipheral regions outside the Alps (cf. fig. 1). The number of holdings decreased much slower than that of the population. In 1990 almost two thirds (61%) of the those listed in 1951 were still active, with the h ighest ratio of shut-down enterprises in the agriculturally advantaged areas outside the Alps, but, surprisingly enough, only a small one in the Alpine regions with a predominance of medium-sized holdings. Wher ever the equal division of inheritances is predominant the number of e nterprises decreased considerably, but on the whole the number of ente rprises did not decrease as much in Austria as it did in other countri es, as many holdings were reorganized and run by persons with another mein source of income then. While there were less than one third (28.5 %) such smallholdings in 1951, the ratio increased to almost two third s (65.8%) in 1995, with this type being found in the areas of smallhol dings in the Alps at first, but spreading to other regions afterwards. At present agriculture as the main source of income predominates only in a very few areas with favourable conditions (cf. fig 4). By means of extensive questionnaire research within the framework of the resear ch project on ''Austria. Space and Society'' it was found that Austria 's farmers are fully aware of the seriousness of the situation in the aftermath of joining the EC. They know that reorganization is necessar y. Half of them believe that they should concentrate on quality produc ts, two thirds feel that extra incomes from other sources will be need ed to an ever-increasing extent, but only a very few think that switch ing over to modern high-tech enterprises without an extra income is fe asible.