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The Village Gornje Romanovce in the Postwar Period
Jovan Bogdanović
Sažetak
In this article the author explicates the postwar socioeconomic changes in the mountainous village G. Romanovce, in South Serbia. It belongs to the Municipality of Surdulica in the District of Leskovac. The village is situated at 1,200 meters above the sea level and the climate and configuration are typically mountainous. Agriculture is the main occupation of the villagers, though conditions for agriculture are not so favourable. 80.00% of the total agricultural surface is of seventh and eighth class quality. Therefore the yields per unit of land are very low (s. c. »natural agriculture«). Better conditions exists for animal breeding. In the agrarian structure small holdings are dominating. 79.00% of all holdings in the village belong to the group of up to 5.00 hectares size and other indicators of agricultural overpopulation are present here. Because of such unfavourable economic conditions the tendency of migration to other regions in search for nonagricultural employment appeared very early (s. c. »pečalba« = toil). In that respect it is one of the typical villages in South Serbia. The author separately analyses demographic changes during the postwar period. Up to 1959. permanent migration from the village was very insignificant. It amounted to only 7.30% of the natural increase. On the other hand the natural increase in the period 1959—1962. was 33 persons, but 103 villagers migrated. It is worth noticing that this borderline in population changes corresponds with the completion of the nearby hydropower station works, where during more than ten years a considerable number of active population were permanently or seasonally employed. With the cease of these public works many villagers lost a very important source of additional income and therefore started to migrate in search for new employments. To many it was eased because of previously acquired qualification on hydroproject works. The author points out that many small holders
were migrating too, though as it is known that in mountainous villages they represent the most imobile part of the population. An explanation should be sought in the fact that smallholders in this village were able to save money necessary for the movement to other places. At the end the author mentions the phenomenon that they as a rule move to those places where already some of their neighbours has settled before or at least some of people from nearby villages. It considerably eases their adaptation to new conditions of life.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
118233
URI
Datum izdavanja:
24.3.1965.
Posjeta: 1.308 *