ABSTRACT
Agrarian reforms were an important constituent element of general economic reforms in all the post-socialist countries. The major objective of agrarian change was the creation of a market-oriented sector. In the USSR and most Central and East European countries there was an additional wish to reduce the burden of state subsidies to the agri-food sector. In the process of reform, countries in transition have to undertake three tasks: to implement institutional changes in agriculture, to promote the emergence of market institutions and infrastructure, and to frame new agri-food policies to match those of a more pervasive market economy. The issues of land reform and farm restructuring can be taken first, with discussion of emerging markets following at a later stage.
