Preliminary communication
Socioeconomic Processes in Family Farming in Istria
Stipe RADINOVIĆ
Đurđica ŽUTINIĆ
Milan OPLANIĆ
Anita Silvana ILAK PERŠURIĆ
Miroslav TRATNIK
Abstract
The paper discusses changes in agricultural family
farming in Istria occurring in the past thirty years, from
the viewpoint of human and production resources. The
analysis rests on the findings of two surveys conducted
in two periods on agricultural farms and is based on
available statistical data. In the first part of the paper,
the authors describe the main characteristics in the
movement and structure of the population of Istria
which has increased in the period observed. The most
radical changes that occurred in its structure were
a dramatic fall of the share of rural population. This also
had an impact on the changes in the socioeconomic
structure of family farming in which, with regard to the
1970s, the number of active farmers dropped and the
family members not working on the farms doubled in
number. In addition, the number of family farms
dropped by one third, the area of unarable land increased
and the livestock fund decreased. According to results
of the survey, the farms maintained the same structure of
production, which is still mostly self-sufficient in character.
Thus the development of family farming in Istria should
be viewed in the context of development of other
activities, especially the rural tourist industry and
agrotourism.
Keywords
socioeconomics; family farming; Istria
Hrčak ID:
18126
URI
Publication date:
30.4.2006.
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