Tropentag, October 11 - 13, 2005 in Stuttgart-Hohenheim "The Global Food & Product Chain – Dynamics, Innovations, Conflicts, Strategies"

Being Member or Non Member in an Agricultural Cooperative in Kazachstan – A Case Study of Two Farm Families

University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan, Department of Agriculture, Germany

Abstract

Until today there is a lot of discussion whether it is advantageous to stay in big units to crop the land or to have individual farms in Kyrgyz Republic. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Kyrgyz Republic become independent and started with the reform of the economy. In the agricultural sector the big Kolkhozes and Sovhozes which had an average of 3,000–4,000 ha were privatized divided among the members. The members could decide whether to divide the property or to go on by a common cultivation of the land. In the second case they chose the juridical form of Joint Farm of Joint Stock Farm.
Up to now the information available about the farm families situation in the area is very limited. The presented paper analyses in a first case study the situation of two comparable families where one is member in a cooperative and the other is an individual family farm. The data were collected using intensive interviews in Kotormo village in the South West region. Additionally comprehensive socio-economic data of TES Centre in Osh oblast of 2004 could be used for the analyses. A focus is given to family income and decision making.
The analyses showed that the family working in the cooperative could achieve a higher income per man hour as well as per hectare compared to the individual family farm. This was due to several factors such as off-farm income and production intensity. But the most important factor were the better market relations and higher prices which the cooperative could obtain.

Keywords: Agricultural cooperative, farm family, Kazakhstan

Contact Address: Ralf Schlauderer, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan, Department of Agriculture, Steingruberstraße 2, 91746 Weidenbach, Germany, e-mail: ralf.schlaudererfh-weihenstephan.de