About 43.7 percent of the population (a total of 14.9 million) lives in rural areas and 30.9 percent of the rural population lives on less than the minimum subsistence income (about $35 per month) (6). In the land legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, new property institutions appeared, such as the right to private property on land, permanent land use rights, the right to limited use of another land parcel (servitude) and condominium. After the adoption of the Land Law of 2001, the institution of land use rights changed significantly.
At the beginning of the land reform, peasant farms had the right to lifelong hereditary possession, then they were given a permanent right of use, and finally they were granted only temporary rights of use. Land legislation began in 1990 with the introduction of the concept of lifetime hereditary land tenure.
State Farm Privatization
By the middle of 1996 and according to official statistics, 2332 state agricultural enterprises were privatized and 6050 new farming entities were established by new owners on the territory and agricultural land of these state enterprises. These so-called collective enterprises and joint stock companies retained about three-quarters of the land and assets of the privatized state agricultural enterprises. The shareholders and workers of these enterprises could withdraw the land designated in their land shares together with their property shares, but they were obliged to participate in debts of agricultural enterprises in an amount corresponding to their share of participation.
Land Sharing
Likewise, the decision to transfer land shares to large private entities in the form of a lease was based on the possibility that the owner of the land share would be employed on this farm for an indefinite period of time or temporarily for seasonal work. The average size of the land share was determined by dividing the total land area of the agricultural enterprise by the number of beneficiaries. The right to a land share was determined by a privatized company that submitted a list of beneficiaries to the head of the local administration.
Rural residents have the right to own land as "collective" property and can take away their "earthly share" in nature. The government's resolution on the approval of the land share concession procedure in the privatization of state-owned agricultural enterprises (June 1994) allowed the sale and transfer of ownership shares and only the concession of land shares to another member of the collective enterprise for the use of these land shares. for agricultural production. The land legislation did not stipulate that the land share would be officially registered and only a certificate of the land share had to be issued.
Thus, the share of land existed within collective enterprises and served as a legal agreement for the transfer of property and land from state-owned businesses to private ones. A large number of rural residents became owners of land shares since the beginning of the agrarian reforms in 1991. This lease arrangement provided the landowners with rent payments, which are usually very low and mostly paid in kind.
Privatization of land shares allowed for land consolidation in the hands of private business entities without any physical division of agricultural land, allowing private companies to retain large areas of agricultural land for agricultural production.
Rural Kazakhstan 1 Land Resources
Rural Development Policy in Kazakhstan
The process of agricultural reforms in the country can be divided into four phases. The majority of the rural population was not ready to accept reforms, which represented fundamental changes in the rural way of life (11). Existing technological links in production and in the procurement of inputs and machinery were disrupted.
Moreover, the state budget did not allocate additional funding for the rural sector under the 1991 law “On the priority development of Auls, villages and agriculture”, which aimed to mitigate the impact of the market transition on the rural economy (11). It also led to a significant increase in the migration of rural populations to cities (11). The social infrastructure in most villages was inadequate and did not meet basic needs.
The decline in the number of cattle and horses slowed, while the corresponding numbers for pigs, sheep and goats began to increase (11). Increased migration led to a significant decline in the country's population, including in rural areas (11). Positive changes appeared in the rural social sector and the number of rural settlements without a medical or accompanying institution decreased during 2001.
In 2001, new secondary schools were built in the rural area, providing an additional 12,799 places for school attendance.
Rural Economy and Poverty
In accordance with the Law "On Agricultural Corporations and their Associations" (December 2000), the Agricultural Corporation was established. In the same year, 70 first aid centers, 17 medical-obstetric centers and 27 rural hospitals were reopened. But the quality of medical care and the resource base of rural medical centers still leave much to be desired.
Similar problems persist in rural education and the same measures have been taken by the state in the field of education and other areas of rural sector development (11). Despite the fact that the economic development of a rural area remained the priorities of the government, the President announced the National Program for Rural Development, under which sufficient resources should be allocated for the creation of social infrastructure in the selected rural areas. These data represent a decline in the rural population of approximately 0.6 million people over the past decade, while the total population has declined by 1.4 million people.
The overall rural population density is low, less than 6 persons per square kilometer, while the rural population density in the southern regions is very high. The density of the rural population in most regions is reflected in the resources in these administrative units and in areas with favorable climatic conditions for agriculture it is much higher compared to areas with unfavorable conditions. At the bottom of the percent of Kazakhstan's rural population had an income below the minimum monthly living wage of 5162 KZT (about $35.00).
The first is to focus on issues specific to the rural sector, such as the provision of physical infrastructure, healthcare and education, and measures to improve the viability of local economies, etc.
Implementation of Land Reform 1. Land Reform Concept
- Procedure of Land Allocation and Entitlement
- Restrictions on the Rights of Landowners and Landusers
- Restrictions to Land Shares Owners
- Land Payment
- Deficiencies Identified in the Land Code
The Land Code of 2003 defines two forms of land ownership for agricultural land – private land ownership and land possession under temporary or permanent land use rights. Clear criteria for determining maximum land plot sizes are not included in the land legislation. Most likely the government set the maximum size of a plot of land based on the prevailing size of peasant farms in the regions.
The allocation of agricultural rights to legal entities and citizens is decided by the local executive body. Use of land before the demarcation of the plot is not permitted, and violation of this provision is subject to administrative remedies. The regional land state committee should identify the land, determine the cadastral value (assessed) of land.
The granting of a plot of land into private ownership or the right to temporary use of land for the establishment of a farm is dealt with in this Land Code. The division of a plot of land in common ownership must be done after a preliminary decision on determining the land share of each member. The Land Code stipulates certain restrictions regarding the acquisition of land ownership, in particular, foreign citizens and entities may not purchase land of agricultural value and non-agricultural land.
The owners of land shares possess the rights to realize their rights under this Land Code. The Land Code does not specify exactly how the land share assessment could be made. The Land Code aims to prevent such concentration of agricultural land in the hands of a single owner or legal entity by determining the maximum size of the plot in each area.
Social and Economic Analysis of Rural Area
- Demographic Profile of Rural Residents
- Budget of Rural Households
- Identified Social and Economic Problems in Rural Area
- Attitude of Rural People to Private Land Ownership and Land Shares
- Conclusion on conducted survey
As for the causes of poverty, 74% of respondents reported that the main causes of poverty are low wages. Only a very small group of respondents (4%) is optimistic, believing that their financial situation would improve significantly. Regarding the expected ways of improving the financial situation, the majority of the respondents (90% of the respondents) stated that they believe in their own power, while the older respondents indicated that they applied that improvement with the help of relatives and friends (42% of the total responses). .
About 31 and 40 percent of the respondents reported that the rural population will steadily decline and the village will have no future prospects, while 27 percent of the respondents reported that the village has the potential to develop agricultural production. The survey showed that rural residents accept private ownership of agricultural land, with two-thirds of respondents expressing a positive attitude towards private property. It should be noted that when asked what type of land tenure should be used for agricultural land, only 26% of respondents indicated that private property with the right to sell was appropriate.
More than half of respondents (58 %) stated that ownership should be in the form of heritable land ownership throughout life. Some respondents (12% of respondents) were of the opinion that agricultural land should remain owned by the state with 4% of respondents having difficulty answering this question. Only 2% of the respondents answered negatively regarding possible improvements in the family's financial status, while 36% of the respondents had difficulty answering the question.
Less than half of respondents (40%) said they consider leasing an important source of family income, and while 4 percent of respondents found it difficult to answer. The majority of the respondents (92%) stated that the tenants fulfilled their obligation under the contract in front of them, while 8% of the respondents answered that the tenants fulfilled their obligation regarding the lease of land shares. A significant number of respondents (44%) reported that they were not satisfied with the rental terms, and another half of respondents indicated that they were only partially satisfied with the rental period.
