In the pre-reform period, agriculture was heavily subsidized in most Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). Around 1989, most CEECs began to open up their markets, liberalize prices, and reduce subsidies. At the same time, the level of support provided to agriculture declined...

This study summarizes the first five years (1991-96) of agrarian reforms in Ukraine, presenting the results of a farm-level survey conducted in 11 provinces between January and March 1996. The findings show that the growth of private farming has slowed down after a vigorous start and that the...

This book describes the experience of the agriculture sector in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) under reunification. Evidence shows that eastern German agriculture is competitive under current policies and has ample capacity to adjust to likely changes in policy.

The transformation of Central and Eastern European agriculture started almost a decade ago. Looking back, it can be seen that the countries concerned made the right choice in setting their overall goals and policies for transition to a market economy, but the social costs have been high. Under...

The objective of this study is to support the farm privatization and restructuring process in CIS by presenting a wide range of strategic and tactical options that could be applied to eliminate, or at least reduce, the main factors responsible for the destructive accumnulation of in large farm...

Water resource management policies worldwide are at a crossroads. On the one hand, a remarkable consensus on the principles of reform has emerged. On the other hand, it has turned out to be difficult to transfer the principles into reality. This document describes the distinctive experience of...

The World Bank has long been active in the Europe and Central Asia region in monitoring and evaluating land reform developments and supporting the development of land markets. Bank efforts to date have made a significant impact in client countries, and studies produced by the Bank have been used...

This report seeks to provide a brief overview of agricultural economies in the region. It identifies where the agrarian economies of Eastern Europe and Central Asia stand today, the direction in which they are heading, the rate at which production can be expected to recover, and how this...

This technical paper is a review of eight intensified systems of land use on unirrigated farms in developing countries. The study proposes three complementary sets of conditions necessary for farming systems to be sustainable in the long run: public sector policies and investments; private...