Viable agriculture is an important element of national economy and society welfare. During the recent decades Lithuanian agricultural system has evolved. However, the nature of these changes and the links with viability of agriculture or individual farmers’ farms is a relevant research topic. The identification of critical indicators of viable agriculture is important for the policy-making and the government of the agricultural system’s evolution.
The study is aiming at proposing a support model, which allows the sustainable development and viable maintenance of the most important sub-systems of Lithuanian agriculture.
The first chapter reviews the most important scientific thoughts, theories and concepts, which propose different notions of the viable agriculture and the viable farm. The conducted research shows essential differences in understanding of the viable farm’s aim and the settlement of viability indicators. Different scientific attitudes towards the governmental intervention, ensuring the maintenance of viable agriculture, are discussed.
The second chapter analyses the impact of different scientific thoughts on the evolution of Lithuanian agriculture since 1990. Four main stages of the agricultural development, representing different approaches to notions of viability and changes of the agricultural support model, are discussed. The evolution of the agricultural support model in Lithuania is investigated divulging relevant challenges and the support model’s orientation towards the maintenance of the long-term viability of agriculture.
The third chapter provides the most critical indicators of viable agriculture. The most vulnerable niches of Lithuanian agriculture are identified generalizing the state of the art of social, economic and environmental indicators.
The fourth chapter proposes the conceptual guidelines for the establishment of the support model to maintain the viable agricultural system in the long run. On the basis of the analysis of social, economic and environmental sub-systems’ indicators, provided in the third chapter, and the analysis of the Lithuanian agricultural support model for the period of 2014-2020, provided in the second chapter, the model of direct payments is distinguished. This model absorbs a significant share of Common Agricultural Policy budget and could be improved applying proposed conceptual guidelines. The study evaluates the national model of direct payments for the period 2015-2020 and underlines its’ limitations. The relevance of this model to ensure the desired state of the most critical viability indicators is discussed. Alternative support models are proposed and evaluated, agricultural support development recommendations are provided.
Jurkėnaitė, N. 2017. Paramos svarba kuriant tvarų žemės ūkį Lietuvoje: Mokslo studija. Vilnius: Lietuvos agrarinės ekonomikos institutas. 148 p.: iliustr., santr. angl. (online) ISBN 978-9955-481-63-8.
