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Popovo Polje land consolidation feasibility study: a door towards integrated and sustainable rural development

One of the main constraints of the development of agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the fragmented structure of the land, which impedes the development of commercial agriculture and perpetuates subsistence farming.

In the former system, the right to private property ownership was limited, private agricultural holdings could not exceed 10 ha and as a result, large expropriation of land took place after the II World War, to which additionally, state incentives were promoting the donation and leasing of private land to public enterprises. As a result of this, presently, private holdings, which dominate in the ownership structure of land, are very fragmented. The average size of holdings does not exceed 5 ha and holdings are scattered in an average of 10 plots that are several kilometers distant from each other, rendering difficult any proper agriculture performance.

Taking into consideration these characteristics, land consolidation comes as an essential activity to be carried out in order to make agriculture more competitive. Though, at the same time, there are some other constraints that makes it not to be possible in near future, traditionally lands were not divided among members of the family and there was a lot of oral exchange of plots.

After the conflict courts overloaded of work with other issues left aside many inheritance procedures which are yet not solved, present law on land consolidation is from 85’s and it is not adapted to the present situation, cadastre data are not updated and due to the expropriation of property made in former system there is a need to gain confidence of farmers before the land consolidation takes place, as today farmers are still afraid that government will take their property.

Therefore, MPDL, after analyzing the context and in the framework of the “Agricultural Development of Rural Communities in Eastern Herzegovina” project, which aims to establish the necessary preconditions for the integrated revitalization of the agriculture in Popovo Polje, and having in mind to produce a base for future coherent planning processes, concluded to elaborate a feasibility study for the land consolidation of Popovo Polje, under a modern land consolidation approach.

In modern vision of land consolidation, agricultural holdings are not just gathered in order to maximize agricultural production, but also takes into account other aspects concerning rural areas, social, cultural, environmental, political and other economical aspects, making up of it a tool for integrated rural planning, a vehicle to improve and stimulate rural development based on voluntary, participatory, democratic and community driven approaches.

Definition of the activity was made in coordination with FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) who as per prior experiences in Eastern countries, countries in transition with similar context to the above mentioned for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as per some envisage of their future assistance for a national strategy on land consolidation, recommended to orientate the feasibility study to determine the suitability of Popovo Polje for the implementation of a pilot project in a national context. Within the study a set of objective indicators will be defined in order to analyze, evaluate and later to be able to compare feasibility of the pilot project in Popovo polje with other areas under two points of view, potential success of the pilot project and significance of the potential benefits.

Study includes analysis of the social and technical potentials and constraints for the implementation of land consolidation, economical assessment through a cost benefit analysis, environmental and landscape assessment and formulation of recommendations and guidelines for implementation, concluding on clear indications for the suitability of Popovo Polje for the implementation of a pilot project for land consolidation in a national context

The study is being performed by a Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia team of experts of the different areas of expertise that have to be covered and is taking as a base all other research that MPDL has carried out in these years of experience in Popovo polje, market research, cadastre, infrastructure and pedology GIS data, pedological study, and a survey on land tenure and land use issues.

The research started with presentations to the three municipalities integrated in the valley (Ravno, Trebinje and Neum), mayors, heads and technicians of relevant departments, cadastre officer and representatives of the different local communities, who received the initiative positively and enthusiastic, being ready to actively cooperate and to define a common methodology.

From a first review of the state of the ownerships from the cadastre data of Ravno, covering an area of 88 ha, there appeared 309 parcels, giving and average size of 0.3 ha per hectare, which already can be considered as a significant number when evaluating the potential benefits of implementation the land consolidation in Popovo Polje. Presently this is just a subjective judgment where it is readable our will for land consolidation to take place in Popovo Polje, but still, results of the complete study have to be awaited for an objective conclusion and a long path walked for the real implementation of the consolidation.

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