RONCO in the News: Archives

RONCO completes $18.2 million USAID sponsored Ukraine Agricultural Land Share Project December 31, 2000

WASHINGTON, Jan 2001 - RONCO managed the ALSP for USAID from October 1995 through December 2000. Some of the tangible results and lessons learned from this $18.2 million project follow.

1. Land and property privatization completed on 750 farms in 17 oblasts.
2. 100 Ukrainian professionals fully trained and capable of implementing restructuring activities.
3. Information on project implementation distributed to hundreds of parties interested in land titling and privatization via tens of thousands of bulletins, how-to manuals and other promotional and training materials.
4. 700,000 land titles issued.
5. The legal and regulatory framework required for issuance of land titles substantially improved through reformed legislation, decrees and revised regulations.
6. A draft land code, consistent with the Constitution, prepared and briefed to the Government via the Presidential Agricultural Reform Commission.
7. A draft National Farm Restructuring Program prepared.
8. Over 100 public meetings held with 25,000 national, oblast and raion officials.

1. Ukraine has a unitary political and administrative structure. Strong oblast and raion leaders often exercise considerable autonomy and independence from national leadership. This political dichotomy can be effectively exploited for development purposes by working through capable local level Ukrainian project staff.
2. Existing legislation does not support bold farm restructuring and land reform initiatives.
3. Legislative reform initiatives should include clauses that declare void all existing Soviet legislation that is contrary to the intended reform or require that all contrary Soviet law be brought into strict conformity to the desired new legislation.
4. The still tenuous political support for transferring land and property from collective into private ownership by former collective farm members prevents consistent implementation of farm restructuring breakup strategies. To achieve farm breakup into a variety of farm sizes at the time that farm land and property is transferred to farm workers, it is necessary to carefully select target areas where leadership is supportive.