Rationale for the study and summary of findings; Ukraine: the country and its agriculture; Land reform legislation; The new private sector; Reorganization of farm enterprises; The effect of reorganization on farm employees; Market services and infrastructure; Rural social services and restructuring of the collective sector.

This study summarizes the first five years (1991-96) of agrarian reforms in Ukraine, presenting the results of a farm-level survey conducted in 11 provinces between January and March 1996. The findings show that the growth of private farming has slowed do

"Restructuring has produced a definite favorable impact on labor relations and workers behavior in the reorganized farms. Managers of reorganized farm enterprises give a much more positive assessment of the behavioral patterns of their workers than managers of non-reorganized farms." Agriculture remains the main source of employment and livelihood for the large rural population of many transition countries, especially among the former Soviet republics. Accordingly the World Bank continuously monitors the progress of land reform and farm restructuring in the region because of the potential impact of these processes on rural development and poverty alleviation in rural areas. The present study on Ukraine is the latest addition to a long and growing series of World Bank publications on land reform and farm restructuring in the former socialist countries of Europe and Central Asia. The unique feature of all these publications is their reliance on first-hand empirical information collected through extensive farm surveys of various rural constituencies. Farm surveys have been conducted by the World Bank in many countries of the CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Belarus) and Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania). Analysis of survey findings enables the World Bank to base its policy dialogue with governments in the region on solid empirical facts, making the Bank's recommendation much more credible and relevant. The new findings for Ukraine will similarly provide a platform for useful policy discussions with this country's government and supply the many international donors active on the local scene with essential information for the design of their strategic programs.

Agricultural reforms, including privatization of land and farm restructuring, are an important cornerstone for overall transformation of the economies of the former socialist world. This paper summarizes the current status of land reform in Moldova and shows how there has been clear progress in creating a market-based agriculture and food sector in Moldova. The results of this study indicate that genuine restructuring and transition to full-fledged private farming have resulted in improved profitability and higher incomes for private farmers than those achieved by traditional collectives.

Annotation The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the breakdown of all previously established production and trading practices has forced Ukraine to confront the demands imposed by a market-based economy. The food and agriculture sector is still in the early stages of the transition toward private ownership and market- based decisionmaking. The adjustment is difficult because of the country's long history of distorted prices, government intervention, and monopolistic marketing and because of the built-in inefficiencies of the collective and state farm systems. This report describes the current status of the food and agriculture system and the continuing process of transformation. It also provides an agenda and recommendations for maintaining the reform process. The main chapters highlight the development of a market framework and competitive strategies, land reform and privatization, and ways of improving farm production and efficiency. Also available in Ukrainian: (ISBN 0-8213-3475-1) Stock No. 13475.

Land reform is a key factor in determining the political, economic and social future of the transitional states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This book represents the first major study in this area. Utilizing extensive field work, unpublished materials, statistical data and interviews with land reform officials, the contributors explore the key issues.