Nitra, Czechoslovakia: Regional and Technological Development of Agriculture

Abstract

The large-scale organization of agricultural production, which resulted from socialization of the productive basis of the Czechoslovakian economy, created the preconditions to efficiently implement large-scale production technologies, on the one hand, but increased the threat of soil degradation, on the other. Since resources (soil, water, and energy) are limited and requirements for food production are increasing, this study aimed to answer the following main questions:

• (1) What maximum production could be achieved through the application of modern technologies to agriculture and nutrition without causing any serious deterioration to the living environment?

• (2) What conditions need to be created to achieve both objectives?

Nitra was chosen for the experiment since, to a considerable degree, it represents a region with average agricultural conditions; the information obtained can thus be applied to a wider area. Moreover, the region ranks among the largest in the state and its gross agricultural output per ha slightly exceeds the whole-state average. Further agricultural development of Nitra is limited by scarce water supplies.

The proposed LP model permits interaction of output intensification, material and energy inputs, and the quantitative estimation of soil quality impacts. The results should provide managers with data that might be useful in the specification of investment targets; distribution of machines, technology, and agrochemicals; and, in particular, the adjustment of the animal and plant production structures to local peculiarities.