Revitalising the self-sufficient household economy: the Social Land Programme in Hungary

Abstract

The authors introduce the Social Land Programmes, Hungary. Social Land Programmes aim to strengthen self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on social aid by helping people with no financial means to engage with small-scale agriculture. The case study investigated eight rural communities participating in a Social Land Programme. Innovative features include bottom up organisation designed and carried out locally (in contrast to top-down public employment programmes in Hungary). For local leaders, producing food and improving living standard are its main points. They also see various other benefits that include improving the social and physical environment and passing on positive role models within the family. However, they consider national goals of increased employment and self-sustainability to be over optimistic.