Paper Short Abstract:

We conducted a qualitative inquiry with farmers in Bereg (situated in Eastern Hungary), as part of a project that aims to restore wetlands in the area. We found that the changes in the patterns of agricultural labor played an important role in transforming the environment in the area.

Paper Abstract:

Bereg is a predominantly agricultural area situated near the Ukrainian border. It is characterized by a decreasing population and the outmigration of the youth especially in certain small villages. The farm structure consisted of micro-farms (that typically produced food part-time) along fewer small and medium-sized family farms. Large estates were not prevalent in the area. A significant struggle for many of the farms (even for the more successful ones) was the aging of the farmer population, farm succession, and the difficulty of finding a workforce. On many occasions, children of farmers and other young residents decided to choose wage labor often outside the area or even the country, instead of farming. Often parents themselves discouraged their children from pursuing farming. They saw agriculture as hard work, a difficult livelihood, and a way of life that is disparaged by society. They wanted to “lift” their children. The difficulties of farm succession and the younger generation’s drifting towards wage labor along with difficulties in producing profitably resulted in land use change and transformation in the environment. Many farmers turned their lands into forests (with the help of subsidies) or left them uncultured. While changes in the patterns of labor have already played a part in the transformation of the environment, this trend can continue in the future. Wetland restoration intended to tackle the increasingly present drought in the area may materialize in unprofitable agricultural lands and in lands where farmers intend to quit farming.