Resource information
Paper presented at the IAMO Forum 2004“The role of agriculture in Central and Eastern European rural development: Engine of change or social buffer?”4 – 6 November 2004, Halle (Saale), Germany
Ignored by Schultz and Hirschman, the irrational use of land by able-bodiedpart-time/absent small farmers earning higher off-farm income without leasing itto full-time farmers to be competitive, has been a global obstacle with bothpublic and private land ownership, traditional and modern agriculture,fragmented small and joinedly enlarged land, low and high income economies,under-self-sufficiency and overproduction, and developing and developedeconomies, albeit land property rights have been defined and sale/lease allowed,hampering poverty reduction (especially in developing economies like CEE),and causing overproduction and protectionism (particularly in developedeconomies such as the EU), environmental deterioration, etc. Effective andsuitable solutions have been exercised by China for public land ownership toresolve under-self-sufficiency, prevent overproduction and improve theenvironment, but not for private land ownership, which are proposed here. Theyhave received appreciation and attention of the EU, EU accession countries,OECD, UN, CSD, FAO, UNEP and World Bank.