Sociology and Space, No. 10, 1965.
Review article
Socio-economic Changes in Agriculture and Village in Mountainous Regions of Yugoslavia
Petar Marković
Abstract
This article is a short summary of the author's study under the same title. The study was based on the results of the direct investigation in more mountainous villages carried out by the author together with the group of his collaborators. In the introductory part (the fundamental data about mountainous region of Yugoslavia are given. It covers 44% of the national territory, there live over 32% of the total country population, there are 792,663 of individual agricultural holdings or 3296 of their total number in Yugoslavia. Out of very plentiful presented data and research results here we shall note only the most important ones:
— Mountainous region belongs, with its largest part, to the underdeveloped area of Yugoslavia. The income per capita is lower for 43% and the value of the means of production per capita for 70% than the corresponding figures for the whole country. The share of agriculture in the income of the whole region amounts to 37%, with 95% share of individual agricultural holdings. Modern communication
facilities are still undeveloped not only with the other parts of the country but within the region itself too.
— Agricultural population is dominating (60%). About 87% of the region’s population live in scattered villages, mostly on their own holdings (82%). The rate of natural increase is almost twice higher than in other regions of the country and about 1/3 of inhabitants older than 10 years are illiterate.
— Grassland and meadow comprise about 70% of the total agricultural surface. Livestock production makes more than 48% of the total agricultural production (sheep and cattle breeding mostly). At the same time only this branch of agricultural production produces some surpluses for the market. Wheat production in this region is deficient.
— Social sector of agriculture owns only 8% of the total agricultural surface, 5% of the total arrable land, 1.6% of cattle, 2.2% of pigs, etc.
— By its own income peasants holdings can not provide a base for its own reproduction.
— As a whole the mountainous region is an emigratory region. In the postwar period 80% of the total natural increase had left this area (1.329,000 inhabitants). According to the demographic projection about 80,000 of educated young people will be leaving this region annually during the immediate future period. Every fifth member of the active agricultural population is now employed in some nonagricultural activity.
— Increase of income and the improvement of the general conditions of
life, then connection of rural settlements with towns by modern roads and means of transport, are some of the decisive factors which will help and promote the progress of the mountainous region, cease the process of depopulation of its villages and recover all those economical activities that just here have the best preconditions for prosperious development.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
118316
URI
Publication date:
23.12.1965.
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