CREDITS FOR SERBIAN AGRICULTURE IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD

The possibility for self-financing in agriculture is very small, primarily due to lower labour productivity leading to lower rate of surplus value. Therefore, in the development of Serbian agriculture, special importance is attached to other sources of financing such as: the Agrarian budget, i.e. credits of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management; credits of business banks; development funds; leasing companies. With the reconstruction of the Serbian banking system in 1994, the primary issue, as an important source for financing agriculture used primarily for current reproduction, was abandoned. Due to transition to a market economy system and cancellation of financing from the primary issue, economic entities in agriculture have found themselves in a very unfavourable position. Therefore, in 2004, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management started, for the first time, with lending credits to agricultural entities. The source of money is the Agrarian budget of Serbia. Besides this important source for financing agriculture, the paper also analyses other mentioned sources for lending credits to Serbian agricultural entities in the transition period, i.e. from 2004 to 2008.credit lending, agriculture, agricultural budget, transition, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Stavovi lokalnih aktera u Srbiji o politici ruralnog razvoja

Key challenge in transitional countries is effective decentralized local governance with strong capacities for dealing with new rural development programming instruments. In this paper we have examined the attitudes of local rural development actors (RDA) in Serbia on rural development policy priorities, in particular their attitudes on beneficiaries of rural development measures, policy objectives, and the most efficient strategies of rural development. We also analysed whether the respondents' attitudes differ depending on the socio-economic characteristic of surveyed regions (South and North of Serbia). Data on attitudes of RDAs were collected through direct survey with representatives of 30 rural communities, and analysed using descriptive statistics methods and Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour. Results indicate that respondents' attitudes on rural policy are conservative and oriented towards objectives related to agriculture and interests of farmers and that socio-economic characteristic of the regions contribute to distinction in attitudes of RDAs.Ključni izazov za zemlje u tranziciji predstavlja decentralizovana lokalna samouprava sa jakim kapacitetima koji omogućavaju rad sa novim modelima podrške ruralnom razvoju. U radu su istraživani stavovi lokalnih aktera u Srbiji o prioritetima politike ruralnog razvoja, tačnije o prioritetnim korisnicima podrške za ruralni razvoji, prioritetnim ciljevima, kao i najefikasnijim strategijama ruralnog razvoja. Takođe je istraživano da li razlike u odgovorima potiču od socio-ekonomskih karakteristika ispitivanih regiona (Sjever i Jug Srbije). Podaci su prikupljeni putem ankete sa 30 predstavnika lokalnih zajednica, analizirani i interpretirani uz pomoć metoda deskriptivne statistike i Ajzenove teorije planiranog ponašanja. Rezultati ukazuju da su stavovi ispitanika o ruralnim politikama konzervativni i orjentisani ka poljoprivredi i intersima farmera, kao i da razlike u stavovima ispitanika potiču od socio-ekonomskih karakteristika regiona kojima pripadaju

Ekološka svest poljoprivrednih proizvođača u Srbiji - stavovi i prakse

The identification of environmental awareness in this paper was conducted through its basic dimensions: attitudes, behavior and willingness of the respondents to participate in solving environmental problems. The paper focuses on understandings, attitudes and motivations that influence the decision of farmers regarding key issues related to the environment and agricultural production. In the empirical section, this paper assesses whether and how environmental practices follow environmental attitudes of the respondents. One of the hypothesis is that formal education, as an important determinant, has a significant impact on the attitudes regarding environmental protection and the application of positive environmental practices. What was also examined was the extent of and the manner in which information in the field of agriculture and environmental protection, influences the attitudes, practices and involvement of farmers in preserving the environment.Ovaj rad se fokusira na shvatanja, stavove i motive koji utiču na odlučivanje poljoprivrednih proizvođača o ključnim pitanjima koja se odnose na životnu sredinu i poljoprivrednu proizvodnju. Identifikacija ekološke svesti sprovedena je preko njenih osnovnih dimenzija: stavova, ponašanja i spremnosti ispitanika za učešće u rešavanju ekoloških problema. U empirijskom delu, u radu se procenjuje da li i koliko ekološke prakse prate ekološke stavove ispitanika. Jedna od hipoteza je da formalno obrazovanje kao važna determinanta značajno utiče na stavove o zaštiti životne sredine i primenu pozitivnih ekoloških praksi. Takođe je ispitivano u kojoj meri način i nivo informisanosti u domenu poljoprivrede i zaštite životne sredine utiču na stavove, prakse i angažovanje poljoprivrednih proizvođača u očuvanju životne sredine

The Environmental and Educational Topics in Agricultural TV Broadcasts

      The sustainable use and efficient management of natural resources are reflected in the introduction of modern production practices and agro-ecological measures. The new challenges facing farmers require new approaches to the transfer of agricultural knowledge, technologies and information. Television is an important medium for providing timely information and communication with farmers in developing countries, where other sources of information are less available. Therefore, television represents one of the most relevant sources of raising public awareness and concern for the environment. This paper seeks to investigate whether and to what extent specialised TV programmes for farmers of four national TV networks in Serbia cover topics related to the agro-environment. Content analysis was employed to determine the differences in the offer of environmental and educational contents of agricultural TV programmes broadcast by public and commercial television stations in Serbia. Research results reveal significant differences between public and commercial broadcasters in terms of the topics covered, which are especially evident with regard to environmentally and educationally related contents. As the educational value of the content is determined by the choice of subjects, a difference in the frequency with which certain groups of subjects are shown speaking in broadcasts is also noted

HOW COULD THE CAP MEASURES IMPACT FAMILY FARMS IN AREAS WITH NATURAL CONSTRAINTS IN SERBIA

Areas with natural constraints are mountains or other areas where physical landscape results in higher production costs and lower yields. These areas are characterised by undeveloped infrastructure, tendencies to depopulation and resource degradation. The European Union has been providing support for farmers in the areas with natural constraints for the continued use of agricultural land, maintaining the countryside, and promoting a sustainable farming system. The Republic of Serbia is in the process of integration into the European Union and, therefore, seeks to harmonise the national policy to the Common Agricultural Policy. However, the policy toward areas with natural constraints in Serbia does not follow the European model, although it would be recommended given the heterogeneity and number of challenges these areas face. The research aims to examine the effects of different rural development policy measures on production structure, economic results and resource utilisation of family farms in areas with natural constraints in Serbia. A linear programming model has been developed for the dominant farm type in the areas with natural constraints in Eastern and Southern Serbia. The model was used to simulate various policy scenarios based on the Common Agricultural Policy: compensatory payments, decoupled payments, agri-environmental payments and greening payments. Results showed that a combination of different policy measures could increase income and preserve traditional agricultural systems and biodiversity. Considering that there is a lack of empirical research on areas with natural constraints in Serbia, research findings provide guidelines for creating rural development policies that take into account the characteristics of the dominant farm type in these areas

Comparative study of social networks in post-socialist Western Balkan countries: Formal and informal networking for information diffusion

      Rural areas in the Western Balkan are faced with severe socio-economic and political challenges, including a lack of access to knowledge and information as well as scepticism about formal forms of cooperation. Yet, the evidence regarding the influence of social capital and network structures on the access of the rural population to information and knowledge in these countries is still sparse, even though this can be one of the most influential factors shaping rural development. In this paper, a multi-country comparison was applied to provide empirical evidence of the existing level of social capital structures (networks) in North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conducted analyses  indicate that even with the low participation rates, all farmers, both members and non-members of organisations, perceived membership in formal organisations as useful. Additionally, the results support the presumption that even sparse informal networks, mostly built on strong personal ties, are more effective channels for information transfer in the absence of efficient/active formalised types of cooperation. This implies that rural development policy should be crafted in a way to transform farmers from passive subjects into creative actors, particularly in sharing and promoting good practices

Ekonomska efikasnost proizvodnje ratarskih kultura na porodičnim gazdinstvima u AP Vojvodini

Most of the field crop production of Serbia is located in the region of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. About 52% of the cereal-growing area and more than 92% of the industrial crop-growing area of Serbia are located in the Vojvodina Province. Corn, wheat, sunflower, soybean and sugar beet predominate in the sowing structure. The study focused on the economic efficiency of field crop production on family farms in Vojvodina during the period 2005-2009. The aim was to analyze family farms 6-20 ha in size oriented to the production of some major field crops. Although these farms accounted for only 16.4% of the total number of family farms in Vojvodina, they used about 45% of the total arable land. The survey method was used to sample the data on some major production parameters on the 50 family farms focused primarily on field crop production in Vojvodina during the five-year period (2005-2009). The data were used for calculation the gross margin for the field crops analyzed in order to determine the changes of the economic efficiency of the production of some major field crops.Najveći deo ratarske proizvodnje Republike Srbije ostvaruje se na području AP Vojvodine. Na ovom području zaseje se prosečno oko 52% ukupnih površina pod žitaricama i preko 92% površina pod industrijskim biljem. U setvenoj strukturi najzastupljeniji su kukuruz, pšenica, suncokret, soja i šećerna repa. U ovom istraživanju posmatrane su promene ekonomske efikasnosti ratarske proizvodnje na porodičnim gazdinstvima Vojvodine u periodu 2005-2009. godina. Predmet istraživanja su porodična gazdinstva veličine 6 do 20 ha koja su usmerena na proizvodnju najznačajnijih ratarskih kultura. Gazdinstava ove veličina čine samo 16,4% ukupnog broja porodičnih gazdinstava, ali koriste oko 45% ukupnog obradivog zemljišta u AP Vojvodini. Podaci o osnovnim parametrima proizvodnje prikupljeni su metodom ankete, koja je sprovođena poslednjih pet godina (2005-2009.) na odabranih 50 porodičnih gazdinstava usmerenih isključivo na ratarsku proizvodnju na području Vojvodine. Na osnovu anketom prikupljenih elemenata sastavljene su kalkulacije za obračun bruto marže za posmatrane ratarske kulture radi sagledavanja promena ekonomske efikasnosti proizvodnje

Technical efficiency of arable farms in Serbia: do subsidies matter?

This paper analyses the technical efficiency of arable farms in Serbia and its determinants using a two-stage double bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach on the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data from 2014 and 2015 with special emphasis on the impact of agricultural subsidies on the technical efficiency of arable farms in Serbia. Bias-corrected DEA efficiency scores were first calculated and then regressed on a set of explanatory variables using the double-truncated regression approach. The estimates suggest that the share of rented land, land to labour ratio and financial stress variables are the main determinants of arable farm efficiency in Serbia. For the subsidies we found that area payments and input subsidies have some impacts on the technical efficiency of arable farms. In contrast, investment and other subsidies were found to have an insignificant impact on farm technical efficiency. These results suggest that the future potential shift of the Serbian agricultural support towards the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)-like area based payments is expected to have a minimal but likely positive impact on farms technical efficiency in Serbia

Facilitating an area-based development approach in rural regions in the Western Balkans

The present report covers an exercise where a defined development approach (ABD) has been tested in a rural cross border case study area in the Western Balkans. The aim is to draw lessons both for continuing implementation of the ABD in this particular area and more generally initiating it in the Western Balkans. Concretely, the UNDP Area-Based Development (ABD) approach is targeting specific geographical areas characterised by a particular complex development problem (setting it apart from surrounding areas), through an integrated (multi-sector), inclusive (community versus particular groups or individuals), participatory (bottom-up) and flexible (responsive to changes) approach. This approach has been implemented in the pilot case of the Drina valley – Tara Mountain area (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia. As a result of 6 months of interaction among stakeholders, 4 priority development themes were identified in tourism, rural development (with a special focus on agriculture), SME and entrepreneurship and environmental protection. This pilot case allowed drawing relevant lessons for the implementation of ABD to what concerns the area delineation process, the bottom-up process, the top-down accompanying framework and the institutional / legal framework. Lastly, 7 other rural cross border areas within the Western Balkans region have been identified as potential ABD target areas .JRC.J.4-Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Econom

The influence of extreme weather events on farm economic performance – a case study from Serbia

Western Balkan region, particularly Serbia, is faced with an increased frequency of extreme weather events, as a consequence of global climate change. However, there is still no enough research on how the effects of extreme weather events could be measured on the farm level. More importantly, there is no standard international methodology that is used regularly to address the issue. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of extreme weather events on business performances of two the most common farm types in Serbia. To achieve this goal, the authors performed a financial loss assessment on a farm level. Panel models and R software environment were used to perform a multiple regression analysis allowing to indicate determinants of financial loss indicator depending on the farm’s production type. The results indicated that performance of both farm types is more influenced by drought than by floods. The regression analysis revealed that for both farm types financial stress is the most important independent variable