标题:Changes in the Socio-Economic Structure of the Rural Community and Agriculture in the light of most recent data
(Comment on the preliminary figures of the 1969 agricultural census)
摘要:A detailed census of socially owned farips and private farms was carried out in spring 1969 on a sample of 20.5 per cent (18% in the first, and 2.5% in the second phase). The data supplied by the census can now be compared with those obtained from the last (and complete) census carried out in 1960. The author of the article deals with the most notable changes which, as indicated by the data obtained, have taken place in the socio-economic structure of agriculture and the rural community in this country. The total area of the social sector has increased considerably: by more than 800,000 hectares of arable land. Socially owned farms continue growing in size and there is a. marked tendency towards a vertical integration with the processing industry. From 1960 till 1968 the average area of land controlled by the social sector increased from 197 to 1,189 hectares. At present, 418 socially owned farms (or 20% of the total number), which possess more than 1,000 hectares, control more than 90% of the total area owned by the social sector of agriculture. During 'the same period the number of agronomists, lawyers, veterinary surgeons and economists employed on social farms increased three times; the total number of tractors increased by more than 3,000; etc. In comparison with 1960 the number of private farms increased only slightly (1960 — 2,616,000; 1969 — 2,643,000), with developed regions showing a decrease and undeveloped ones an increase. However, due to the growth of socially owned lands, the average area of private farms decreased from 4.2 hectares in 1960 to 3.8 hectares in 1969. There was a marked increase in the number of farms of up to 2 hectares, and especially of those of up to 1 hectare (20%), while the number of farms of more than 10 hectares went down by about one fifth. At the same time, the number of inhabitants living on private farms decreased by about 500,000 or 4%. While the data on the structure of property indicate an adverse trend, those on the living standards of the inhabitants living on private farms show a major advancement. For instance, accommodation facilities expanded by more than 15,000,000 square metres, which means by more than 1.5 square metre per capita. During the same period 900,000 households introduced electrical lighting, which means that 73.6% of the private farms are now electrified. This is primarily due to the growing number of mixed farms (which increased by 14%) and farmers/workers (an increase of 13%). Yugoslavs living on private farms are becoming increasingly dependent on income earned in non-agricultural activities, farming becoming less and less an important source of income. Emphasizing the great regional differences wich mark the current transformation of the rural community, the author warns against certain adverse affects that may arise from this uneven development.