Sociology and Space, No. 4, 1964.
Original scientific paper
Interdependence between agricultural production and social mobility in the Adriatic region of Yugoslavia
Stipe Šuvar
Abstract
The rapid development of tourism in the Adriatic region of Yugoslavia brings about, inter alia, considerable sociodemographic changes and causes before all the transfer of population from agricultural to other activities. Taking into account the economical possibilities brought about by tourism, as "well as plans for the development of shipbuilding, aluminium and other industries, the author of this article undertook an analysis of influences of such changes on agricultural production and social structure of population.
At the beginning the Adriatic region was defined. It is a karst region situated between the coast line and Dinar’s mountain system. There is not much arrable land in it and the climate is rather dry. The relief and the climate of the Region caused a peculiar spatial arrangements of the population and its settlements. From old times the existence of people in this region has been depending on sea and transport between the coast and the inland. Nevertheless up to our century the
population depended mostly on work in agriculture, especially on growing grape, olive, vegetable, tobacco and breeding sheep, goats and cattle. Nowdays too, peasants grow cereals quite often, but vields per hectare are very low. The annual deficit of wheat amounts up to 180,000 tons. The author suggests to exclude cereals from
agriculture in this region.
Social agricultural enterprises in 1963. owned 23,700 hectares of land or 5,3% of the total hectrage of arrable land in this region. The rest of land is being cultivated by private landowners. Their landestates are very small, for instance even 46,8% private landestates in Dalmatia and Hrvatsko Primorje are under 2 hectares.
Is should be add that every landestate is divided, on the average, on 12,6 plats each covering about 881 m2. In such conditions socialistic agricultural enterprises and cooperatives really can not find their account in buying off such small parcels of land scattered about the stony relief. But they will be able to gain qualitative land when drainage works of many karst fields get completed.
The main author’s attention is directed to the analysis of agricultural population. He explicates the following data: in 1961. 544,000 persons were engaded in agriculture while the whole population numbered 1.558,000. During the period 1953. — 1961. the number of active agricultural population decreased from 315,000 to 257,000.
In the commune Rijeka there is even only 1,4% of agricultural population while at the same time in the hinterland this percentage rise up to 70. On the Adriatic islands there is about 55% of agricultural population on the average. As a matter of fact 33,4% of the total population in Adriatic region earns their living in agriculture, 24% only in agriculture and 42,6% only in nonagricultural
activities. Today 26,9% of labour power in agriculture is employed in industry, tourism and other nonfarm activities. In other words nonagriculturists (industrial and other workers, clarks and tradesmen) run 1/4 of the total number of privately
owned landestates.
Traditionally the Adriatic region was known as an emigratory region. At the beginning of this century quite a lot of people emigrated to both American continents and to many European countries too. Today these three migratory directions are significant: from the Adriatic region to the inland of Yugoslavia, from villages
to towns within the Region itself and to foreign countries. From 1953. till 1961. population of Adriatic towns increased for 21,4% while population of Adriatic villages in the same period recorded the population growth of only 0,6%. As a matter of fact 104,000 persons had left 3,668 villages or 10% of the present number of population
in all Adriatic villages. Every day about 70,000 persons travel to work from villages to towns and industrial centers. About 50% of present rural inhabitants are not engaged in agriculture any more.
Particularly interesting are the demographic processes on Adriatic islands. They had in 1961. only 8,8% more population then in 1857. Today on the largest Adriatic island Krk there is 24% persons in the age over 60. As the main reason for depopulation tendencies on Adriatic islands, the author pointed out the agrarian crises
which has started in 1910. At the end the author proposes some measures for the betterment and improvement of the situation on Adriatic islands.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
118211
URI
Publication date:
24.3.1964.
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