Land fragmentation and land consolidation in the agricultural sector : a case study from Bulgaria
Kopeva, Diana & Nivelin Noev & Vladimir Evtimov
The transition from a centrally planned economy to a free market economy in the Republic of Bulgaria called for changes in the agricultural sector. Agricultural reform started with land restitution and was carried out in a framework, which led to land fragmentation where efficient agricultural production was not a primary concern. The reinstatement of property rights to small plots dispersed within a certain territory and belonging to a settlement, hampers the establishment of viable and profitable farms and becomes a bottleneck for effective agriculture. Liberal inheritance law and traditions in land tenure exacerbate land fragmentation furthering the negative effect. Small plots hinder the implementation of new technologies, utilization of machinery and new production patterns. Dispersed parcels inhibit spatial planning for the administration, use and management of land. Although the land reform in Bulgaria has almost been completed (98 percent of the land claimed was restituted by the end of July 2000), its outcome – land fragmentation, has created a negative impact on the sustainable development of rural areas where agriculture is the main, and sometimes the only, source of income and employment for the resident population. The improvement of livelihood in rural areas depends on making use of the possibilities for effective resource allocation. Basically, this means land consolidation and spatial planning.
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