Farm diversification opportunities in Bulgaria: the perceptions of farmers in the Plovdiv region.

Abstract

Agriculture faces significant challenges in responding to the rapidly changing global agri-business environment. Due to the decreased incomes in agriculture in the last few decades, farm diversification is frequently recommended as one approach to business survival. The paper outlines the structural changes in Bulgarian agriculture since 1944. This paper also analyses how farm managers with different farm types (size and land ownership patterns) evaluated two strategic options, ‘related’ diversification (introducing new agricultural activities) and ‘unrelated’ diversification (introducing new non-agricultural activities). The managers identified whether they perceived these strategies as feasible for their future development, what factors encouraged/discouraged diversification and the outcomes they expected from diversification. Farm diversification was perceived as an innovative business approach, irrespective of farm size and landownership patterns, which was viewed as feasible in the medium term (5 years) by only one third of the respondents.