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Safety in small numbers: Local strategies for survival and growth in Romania and the Kyrgyz Republic

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  • Rachel Sabates-Wheeler

Abstract

Using a comparative study of farm households from poor rural communities in Kyrgyzstan and north-east Romania this paper explores the intricacies of a variety of forms of cooperation in agriculture. The findings highlight the safety net, labour specialisation, asset-pooling and service delivery functions of different groups that enable rural livelihoods to, at times, cope and at times improve in situations of imperfect information, sluggish labour and land markets, and constrained capital markets. The research presented here indicates that small to medium forms of cooperation provide the rural poor with predictable livelihood strategies under conditions of uncertainty. Specifically, cooperative action, in the form of groups, substitutes for imperfect markets. Despite the push for decollectivisation and privatisation across transition countries there remains a place for encouraging group initiatives, at least for the medium term, on the grounds of both poverty alleviation and agricultural growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, 2007. "Safety in small numbers: Local strategies for survival and growth in Romania and the Kyrgyz Republic," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(8), pages 1423-1447.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:43:y:2007:i:8:p:1423-1447
    DOI: 10.1080/00220380701611501
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Heyer, Judith & Stewart, Frances & Thorp, Rosemary (ed.), 2002. "Group Behaviour and Development: Is the Market Destroying Cooperation?," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199256921.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wolz, Axel & Möllers, Judith & Micu, Marius Mihai, 2020. "Options for agricultural service cooperatives in a postsocialist economy: Evidence from Romania," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 49(1), pages 57-65.
    2. Samal Kaliyeva & Francisco Jose Areal & Yiorgos Gadanakis, 2020. "Attitudes of Kazakh Rural Households towards Joining and Creating Cooperatives," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, November.

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