VISIONS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES OF LIVESTOCK SECTOR IN HUNGARY

Szalai, Ádám – Kőszegi, Irén Rita – Hoyk, Edit – Farkas, Jenő Zsolt

Keywords: Keywords: animal husbandry, challenges, Sand Ridge, young farmers JEL: Q18

Teljes cikk
In developed countries, the adverse environmental effects of livestock farming are increasingly becoming the focus of attention, such as the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. There are also economic and social problems, such as farm concentration and the ageing of the farming population. The decline of small farms and backyard livestock production significantly impacts rural communities and is an increasing challenge for rural development. The study examines the above processes in the Hungarian livestock sector from the 1990s to the 2020s. The research is based on the analysis of statistical data and policy documents and on interviews (n = 66) conducted in the Southern Great Plain region. Our findings highlight the defining processes of the Hungarian agricultural sector, namely the concentration of farms and, the significant decrease in livestock numbers and the number of livestock farms; as a result, small-scale producers have almost disappeared from the sector. In addition, important challenges are emerging, such as the disappearance of the multifunctionality of animal husbandry and the slow generational change in the farming community. These problems can no longer be effectively addressed within the framework of the previous agricultural-oriented rural development policy, and a paradigm shift, targeted programs, and policy instruments are needed to define a new development pathway for the Hungarian livestock sector.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53079/GAZDALKODAS.68.6.t.pp_514-532