Date of Award
1996
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Earth & Environmental Systems
Abstract
This study continues the investigation of Latvian agriculture begun as a Master's thesis, and documents current trends toward market driven, private agriculture in that nation. Latvia is aggressively pursuing a return to private farms and a free market as a means of addressing problems with food production and declining standards of living resulting from the collapse of collective and state farming systems. Since 1991, the changes in Latvia's agricultural system and food production have been broad based and extraordinary in their speed. With legal recognition of land ownership, peasant farms have returned as the main agricultural production unit. Agricultural organization has changed dramatically as food production has shifted largely to the private sector, undoing years of collectivization and central planning. Privatization, a ruralization of the population, and the general restructuring are linked spatially and economically. The structure of food production, population shifts, agricultural organization, and farm character and organization were analyzed and studied using descriptive and analytical statistics, and a Geographic Information System. Field study in Latvia in the summer of 1995 was made possible by a National Security Education Project Grant. Statistical information was gathered from government and academic archives and libraries, and case studies and interviews were conducted on Latvian farms. Additional data was also gathered from newspapers, journals, statistical handbooks, books, maps, and interviews. Disruption of Latvia's food supply is a major concern for that nation. Latvia's agrarian privatization has begun to show its potential to correct problems. This analysis presents an account of the present situation and the progress of the past five years, and creates a basis for analyzing possible future agricultural change. Latvia's reform has forged ahead of the other former Soviet republics and their experiences may serve as a model for other nations undergoing similar restructuring in the post-communist era.
Recommended Citation
Sando, Paul Robert, "Latvian Agriculture After Communism: Restructuring And Privatization" (1996). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1981.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1981