David Sedik is the FAO Senior Agricultural Policy Officer for the Europe and Central Asia region. He is the author or co-author of 6 books, as well as over 30 articles and working papers on land reform, agricultural finance, food security, agricultural and trade policy and rural development in the transition countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He is the Head of the Economic Policy Team in the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia where his work includes overseeing and drafting both analytical studies as well as projects on agricultural policies in transition countries. He has worked in all the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States as well as in Georgia. Mr. Sedik formerly worked at Iowa State University and the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture. He received his Ph.D. in 1991 in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Supervisors: Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Assistant Director General, Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia
Purpose Quantifying the burden of war (BOW) beyond battle deaths is often impossible in ongoing c... more Purpose Quantifying the burden of war (BOW) beyond battle deaths is often impossible in ongoing conflicts. Consequently, indirect consequences of war can be overlooked in public BOW discussions. This paper aims to introduce a simulation model to estimate indirect child mortality attributable to war. Yemen was chosen as the example case because indirect child mortality from war likely outpaces direct casualties in the Yemen conflict. Design/methodology/approach A fixed effects panel regression was used to estimate elasticities between child mortality rate (CMR) (the rate of deaths among children under five years of age, per 1,000 live births) and two effects of war assumed to have the greatest explanatory power toward CMR: economic deterioration (measured by changes GDP per capita) and conflict magnitude (via the Major Episodes of Political Violence dataset). These elasticities were then used in a model to estimate the CMR in Yemen up to the year 2020. Findings Regression results sug...
ABSTRACT The present study analyzes the nature of Ukrainian farm debt by investigating whether th... more ABSTRACT The present study analyzes the nature of Ukrainian farm debt by investigating whether the debt servicing problem of Ukrainian farms is more of a debt problem or a net income problem. Net income generation appears to be the more important underlying problem behind the debt problem. Second, the study recounts the main reasons for apparent farm losses in Ukraine. This analysis suggests that low profits are a result of public policies that reduce incentives for profit making, farm production of livestock products at a loss and lack of restructuring. The study concludes that the debt servicing problem of Ukrainian farms leaves them unable to utilize market instruments to secure seasonal financing and is the primary justification for the presence of the Ukrainian government in financing seasonal input supplies. Such financing creates a substantial burden on the state budget, and ultimately on taxpayers. It also leads to sizeable State claims on commodity markets that are similar to a continuation of the state order system for grain that was discontinued after 1997.
... 1-376. Volume 1 (1950). Issue Jahresband (Jan 1950) , pp. 1-404. 30,00 € / $42.00*. Download ... more ... 1-376. Volume 1 (1950). Issue Jahresband (Jan 1950) , pp. 1-404. 30,00 € / $42.00*. Download full text pdf (PDF, 1 MB). The Miliukov Collection. Early Collecting of Russica in California Academic Libraries. WOJCIECH ZALEWSKI, DAVID SEDIK. Citation Information: Libri. ...
Единый рынок пищевых продуктов Евразийского экономического союза и торговые барьеры Проанализиров... more Единый рынок пищевых продуктов Евразийского экономического союза и торговые барьеры Проанализированы проблемы формирования единого рынка в сфере Евразийского экономического союза. Рассмотрены меры, предусматриваемые Договором о Евразийском экономическом союзе и соответствующим законодательством по формированию единого внешнего (таможенного) тарифа, с выделением противоречий между обязательствами стран в рамках ВТО по предоставлению доступа на рынок и Единым таможенным тарифом, а также трудностей их разрешения. Кроме того, проанализированы усилия, направленные на создание единого про-странства по обеспечению безопасности пищевых продуктов и охраны здоровья животных и растений, и в частности, гарантируется ли свобод-ное перемещение пищевых продуктов по территории союза. Ключевые слова: Евразийский экономический союз, единый рынок, таможен-ный союз, Единый таможенный тариф, система обеспечения безопасности пищевых продуктов, ветеринарные, санитарные и фитосанитарные меры. Введение Евразийский экономический союз (ЕАЭС) был создан 1 января 2015 г. Его создание сулило рынок объемом в 170 млн потребителей, устранение та-моженных пошлин, фитосанитарный, санитарный, ветеринарный и иные виды контроля, доступ к контрактам на госзакупки на всей территории союза, а также свободный доступ к рынкам труда на всей его территории. Единое экономическое пространство, или общий (единый) рынок, на настоящий момент является наиболее амбициозной и потенциально наиболее прибыльной из всех программ, предусматриваемых ЕАЭС.
This work analyzes development of the single market, focusing on the legislative and institutional basis of Eurasian Economic Union. We first explore measures in the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty and associated legislation to form a common external tariff, noting contradictions between WTO market access commitments and the Common Customs Tariff and the difficulties of resolving them. We then analyze efforts aimed at creating a single agricultural health and food safety space, focusing on how the free movement of food throughout the Union is ensured (or not).
This paper presents initial results from a study of taxation and support of Ukrainian agriculture... more This paper presents initial results from a study of taxation and support of Ukrainian agriculture, 1994-97. The results indicate that government price and fiscal policies during this period measured by the producer support estimate indicator tended to support agricultural producers. Support derived from high domestic prices that exceeded world levels and direct budget support. However, the study also finds that transaction and transportation costs in Ukraine exceeded those in market economies by a large margin, and farms continued to produce livestock products at a loss. These two implicit "taxes" more than offset government price and budget support.
... Eugenia Serova and Olga Melyukhina are, respectively, head of the Agrarian Policy Divi-sion, ... more ... Eugenia Serova and Olga Melyukhina are, respectively, head of the Agrarian Policy Divi-sion, and senior economist of the Russian Institute for the Economy in ... The best way to account for this indi-rect type of subsidy would be to treat the amount of debt written off each year as ...
Purpose Quantifying the burden of war (BOW) beyond battle deaths is often impossible in ongoing c... more Purpose Quantifying the burden of war (BOW) beyond battle deaths is often impossible in ongoing conflicts. Consequently, indirect consequences of war can be overlooked in public BOW discussions. This paper aims to introduce a simulation model to estimate indirect child mortality attributable to war. Yemen was chosen as the example case because indirect child mortality from war likely outpaces direct casualties in the Yemen conflict. Design/methodology/approach A fixed effects panel regression was used to estimate elasticities between child mortality rate (CMR) (the rate of deaths among children under five years of age, per 1,000 live births) and two effects of war assumed to have the greatest explanatory power toward CMR: economic deterioration (measured by changes GDP per capita) and conflict magnitude (via the Major Episodes of Political Violence dataset). These elasticities were then used in a model to estimate the CMR in Yemen up to the year 2020. Findings Regression results sug...
ABSTRACT The present study analyzes the nature of Ukrainian farm debt by investigating whether th... more ABSTRACT The present study analyzes the nature of Ukrainian farm debt by investigating whether the debt servicing problem of Ukrainian farms is more of a debt problem or a net income problem. Net income generation appears to be the more important underlying problem behind the debt problem. Second, the study recounts the main reasons for apparent farm losses in Ukraine. This analysis suggests that low profits are a result of public policies that reduce incentives for profit making, farm production of livestock products at a loss and lack of restructuring. The study concludes that the debt servicing problem of Ukrainian farms leaves them unable to utilize market instruments to secure seasonal financing and is the primary justification for the presence of the Ukrainian government in financing seasonal input supplies. Such financing creates a substantial burden on the state budget, and ultimately on taxpayers. It also leads to sizeable State claims on commodity markets that are similar to a continuation of the state order system for grain that was discontinued after 1997.
... 1-376. Volume 1 (1950). Issue Jahresband (Jan 1950) , pp. 1-404. 30,00 € / $42.00*. Download ... more ... 1-376. Volume 1 (1950). Issue Jahresband (Jan 1950) , pp. 1-404. 30,00 € / $42.00*. Download full text pdf (PDF, 1 MB). The Miliukov Collection. Early Collecting of Russica in California Academic Libraries. WOJCIECH ZALEWSKI, DAVID SEDIK. Citation Information: Libri. ...
Единый рынок пищевых продуктов Евразийского экономического союза и торговые барьеры Проанализиров... more Единый рынок пищевых продуктов Евразийского экономического союза и торговые барьеры Проанализированы проблемы формирования единого рынка в сфере Евразийского экономического союза. Рассмотрены меры, предусматриваемые Договором о Евразийском экономическом союзе и соответствующим законодательством по формированию единого внешнего (таможенного) тарифа, с выделением противоречий между обязательствами стран в рамках ВТО по предоставлению доступа на рынок и Единым таможенным тарифом, а также трудностей их разрешения. Кроме того, проанализированы усилия, направленные на создание единого про-странства по обеспечению безопасности пищевых продуктов и охраны здоровья животных и растений, и в частности, гарантируется ли свобод-ное перемещение пищевых продуктов по территории союза. Ключевые слова: Евразийский экономический союз, единый рынок, таможен-ный союз, Единый таможенный тариф, система обеспечения безопасности пищевых продуктов, ветеринарные, санитарные и фитосанитарные меры. Введение Евразийский экономический союз (ЕАЭС) был создан 1 января 2015 г. Его создание сулило рынок объемом в 170 млн потребителей, устранение та-моженных пошлин, фитосанитарный, санитарный, ветеринарный и иные виды контроля, доступ к контрактам на госзакупки на всей территории союза, а также свободный доступ к рынкам труда на всей его территории. Единое экономическое пространство, или общий (единый) рынок, на настоящий момент является наиболее амбициозной и потенциально наиболее прибыльной из всех программ, предусматриваемых ЕАЭС.
This work analyzes development of the single market, focusing on the legislative and institutional basis of Eurasian Economic Union. We first explore measures in the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty and associated legislation to form a common external tariff, noting contradictions between WTO market access commitments and the Common Customs Tariff and the difficulties of resolving them. We then analyze efforts aimed at creating a single agricultural health and food safety space, focusing on how the free movement of food throughout the Union is ensured (or not).
This paper presents initial results from a study of taxation and support of Ukrainian agriculture... more This paper presents initial results from a study of taxation and support of Ukrainian agriculture, 1994-97. The results indicate that government price and fiscal policies during this period measured by the producer support estimate indicator tended to support agricultural producers. Support derived from high domestic prices that exceeded world levels and direct budget support. However, the study also finds that transaction and transportation costs in Ukraine exceeded those in market economies by a large margin, and farms continued to produce livestock products at a loss. These two implicit "taxes" more than offset government price and budget support.
... Eugenia Serova and Olga Melyukhina are, respectively, head of the Agrarian Policy Divi-sion, ... more ... Eugenia Serova and Olga Melyukhina are, respectively, head of the Agrarian Policy Divi-sion, and senior economist of the Russian Institute for the Economy in ... The best way to account for this indi-rect type of subsidy would be to treat the amount of debt written off each year as ...
Economic Transition inCentral and East Europe, and the Former Soviet Union: Implications for International Agricultural Trade, Von Witzke, H. and S. Tangermann, eds., 1997
During the 1980s, the Soviet Union was the world's top importer of grain, with annual imports... more During the 1980s, the Soviet Union was the world's top importer of grain, with annual imports averaging 36 million tons. Since the economic reforms that began in the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former USSR in 1992 have intended to transform the economies from centrally planned to market-oriented systems, they could substantially change the countries' production, consumption, and trade
Agriculture in the Face of Changing Markets, Institutions and Policies: Challenges and Strategies, Jarmila Curtiss, Alfons Balmann, Kirsti Dautzenberg, Kathrin Happe, eds., Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Central and Eastern Europe, vol. 33, Halle (Sasle), IAMO, pp. 30-54.
This paper is a stocktaking of land reform and farm restructuring for three countries of the Euro... more This paper is a stocktaking of land reform and farm restructuring for three countries of the Europe and Central Asia region covering three issues pertinent to discussions of the effects of land reform: the overall policy environment, changes in farm performance and changes in the well-being of the rural population. It reaches the following conclusions. First, land reform was probably not responsible for the fall in agricultural production and productivity in the three countries. Land distribution followed the decline in gross agricultural output and deterioration in agricultural yields and labor productivity. Second, land reform contributed to raising yields in the three countries under review, thus potentially contributing to pro-poor growth. Third, rises in the subjective welfare of rural residents stem from a large variety of factors. Land reform can contribute to increasing subjective welfare, but can not compensate for the lack of non-farm employment opportunities and rural services.
Transition to Agricultural Market Economies: The Future of Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine (edited by A. Schmitz and W. Meyers), 2015
The agricultural service cooperative is a means for incorporating small farmers into value chains... more The agricultural service cooperative is a means for incorporating small farmers into value chains that include larger downstream middlemen, processors, markets and grocery chains. This chapter describes the development of agricultural service cooperatives in the large wheat producing countries of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and analyses the reasons for the lagging development there, with a review of policy alternatives for development of the cooperative movement. While there appears to be widespread recognition by both governments of the usefulness of agricultural service cooperatives, support policies focus on subsidies for input purchases and subsidized loans, thus breeding a class of false cooperatives that are established only for the purpose of gaining access to cheap money with no regard for cooperative principles. Neither government has succeeded in creating a supportive business environment for service cooperatives, with tax disincentives as an important barrier to their development. Neither of the governments of Kazakhstan or Ukraine has informed the rural population adequately on the cooperative idea and its benefits.
Despite falling per capita incomes in these countries, globalization has probably not led to a de... more Despite falling per capita incomes in these countries, globalization has probably not led to a deterioration of food security in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Measures of food inadequacy in these countries are significantly lower than in developing countries. The ...
Cambridge Journals Online (CJO) is the e-publishing service for over 270 journals published by Ca... more Cambridge Journals Online (CJO) is the e-publishing service for over 270 journals published by Cambridge University Press and is entirely developed and hosted in-house. The platform's powerful capacity and reliable performance are maintained by a combination of our own expertise ...
This book is an analysis of how the two major economic unions on the Eurasian continent have atte... more This book is an analysis of how the two major economic unions on the Eurasian continent have attempted to achieve a single market in the free movement of goods between their Member States with a focus on markets for food and agricultural products. The "architecture" of food safety control in the European Union (EU) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is the system of food safety supervision, inspection and regulation that allows the single market in food in these two economic unions to operate. The book compares laws, institutions and the governance of food safety issues in the two unions at the central or supranational level, describes and compares the food safety system at the country level and provides a conclusion that reports our findings about the key differences between food safety control in the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The main objective of this agricultural sector review in Turkmenistan is to establish an initial ... more The main objective of this agricultural sector review in Turkmenistan is to establish an initial policy discussion with the Government of Turkmenistan to point to areas where investment opportunities are most likely to arise in the future.
Land reform and farm restructuring have always been a major component of the transition from plan... more Land reform and farm restructuring have always been a major component of the transition from plan to market in all formerly socialist countries, and especially in the 12 former Soviet republics forming the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Ukraine, the second most populous country in CIS (after Russia) and the third largest by area (after Russia and Kazakhstan), began the process of agrarian reform in March 1991, six months before the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. However, all through the 1990s international organizations berated Ukraine for its slow and insufficient reforms. Derogatory phrases like "one step forward, two steps back", "changing the sign on the door", "disappointing performance", "lack of vigorous progress" were universally (and justifiably) used to describe the Ukrainian reforms during the presidency of Leonid Kravchuk (1991-1994) and then (perhaps with less justification) under Leonid Kuchma (1994...
This paper presents such a stocktaking of land reform and farm restructuring in four countries of... more This paper presents such a stocktaking of land reform and farm restructuring in four countries of the Europe and Central Asia region that have had particular difficulties in land reform, farm restructuring, farm performance or rural poverty. It is organized by case studies, each of which is designed to analyze a central conundrum about land reform and farm restructuring in an individual country. Much of the information presented in this review derives from farm and household surveys conducted in each of the four countries in 2003 and 2004. The surveys were designed to provide information that would be comparable across countries. Surveys were supplemented by individual and focus group discussions.
This survey of food safety control systems in the European
Union and the Eurasian Economic Union ... more This survey of food safety control systems in the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is designed to assess the degree to which the present systems in the two unions can ensure effective food safety control, thus ensuring the free movement of goods within the single market. The analysis spans both central and country level institutions for ensuring food safety in the countries of these two economic unions. We conclude that there are cardinal differences between the food safety systems in the two unions both at the central and country levels. The overhaul of the EU food safety control system in the 2000s led to a significant transfer of decision making authority to EU institutions. Very little, if any, of the EU-type central edifice exists in the Eurasian Economic Union.
The paper presents a comparative analysis of the productivity of corporate and individual farms i... more The paper presents a comparative analysis of the productivity of corporate and individual farms in Ukraine based primarily on cross-section data from a farm survey conducted by FAO in 2005. We calculate partial land and labor productivity, total factor productivity, and technical efficiency scores (using Stochastic Frontier Analysis) for farms of different organizational forms. Our results demonstrate with considerable confidence that, contrary to established convictions among the Ukrainian decision makers, the large corporate farms are not more productive than the smaller family farms. This finding is not restricted to Ukraine, as a similar result has been obtained by in Moldova, Russia, and the U.S. Policies encouraging a shift from large corporate farms to smaller individual farms, rather than the reverse, can be expected to produce beneficial results for Ukrainian agriculture and the economy in general. The government of Ukraine should abandon its inherited preference for large-scale corporate farms and concentrate on policies to improve the operating conditions for small individual farms. At the very least, the government should ensure a level playing field for farms of all sizes and organizational forms, and desist from biasing its policies in favor of large farms.
In December 1999 President Leonid Kuchma signed a decree obliging corporate farms to convert the ... more In December 1999 President Leonid Kuchma signed a decree obliging corporate farms to convert the paper land shares of their shareowners into fully titled land plots. The land received through the conversion of the share certificates could be used to establish a new private farm or to enlarge an existing household plot. Corporate farms could continue to use the land represented by privately owned land shares only if they signed a formal lease contract with the landowners. This article describes the results of a monitoring study to assess the outcomes of reform since 2000 and to formulate a set of policy recommendations based on the post-2000 reality in the rural sector. Official national statistics were used to construct a picture of sectoral changes, while data collected in a questionnaire based survey of nearly 1,400 respondents in the spring of 2005 made it possible to conduct a comparative farm-level analysis of the reform impacts in the two main sectors of Ukrainian agriculture – corporate farms and individual farms.
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This work analyzes development of the single market, focusing on the legislative and institutional basis of Eurasian Economic Union. We first explore measures in the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty and associated legislation to form a common external tariff, noting contradictions between WTO market access commitments and the Common Customs Tariff and the difficulties of resolving them. We then analyze efforts aimed at creating a single agricultural health and food safety space, focusing on how the free movement of food throughout the Union is ensured (or not).
This work analyzes development of the single market, focusing on the legislative and institutional basis of Eurasian Economic Union. We first explore measures in the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty and associated legislation to form a common external tariff, noting contradictions between WTO market access commitments and the Common Customs Tariff and the difficulties of resolving them. We then analyze efforts aimed at creating a single agricultural health and food safety space, focusing on how the free movement of food throughout the Union is ensured (or not).
Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is designed to assess the degree to which the present systems in the two unions can ensure effective food safety control, thus ensuring the free movement of goods within the single market. The analysis spans both central and country level institutions for ensuring food safety in the countries of these two economic unions. We conclude that there are cardinal differences between the food safety systems in the two unions both at the central and country levels. The overhaul of the EU food safety control system in the 2000s led to a significant transfer of decision making authority to EU institutions. Very little, if any, of the EU-type central edifice exists in the Eurasian Economic Union.