Socioeconomic change and possibilities of rural development

In the past several decades the Croatian village went through a process of transition. This brought both desirable and undesirable changes and negative consequences. The author considers that exessive deagrarization and uncontrolled rural exodus resulted in great rural depopulation and devitalized the agricultural population. The agricultural population decreased to the level that today exists in developed countries, but without the accompanying transformation of agricutural structure. The number of peasant farms is still very great. Small farms predominate, marginal from the aspect of modern agriculture. A special question is how to achieve an agricultural structure that will enable the greater development not only of peasant agriculture but of other branches of the rural economy, too. The author indicates possible solutions. War destruction in many village regions has additionally burdened overall rural development. It seems that differences in development among various rural regions have increased, which will be strongly reflected on rural development in Croatia