Lithuanian farmers in a time of economic and environmental ambiguity
ENThese are unusually ambiguous, even turbulent, times for Lithuanian farmers. The main reasons for this are related to recent history and present instabilities. Lithuania was and continues to be a land of relatively small independent farmers. This profile was interrupted, of course, during Soviet times (from 1945 to 1991), when lands were collectivized. In the period after independence, farmers gradually returned to the pre-Soviet conditions, though a few managed to buy and gain title to large farms (over 200 hectares in size). Joining the European Union in 2004 has led to yet another cycle of adaptations to new regulations and expectations that shape not just the economic lives of farmers, but also their own sense of autonomy over their farms. As this study shows, the Lithuanian farmer does not perceive her or his farmland, nature, and their own sense of self as disconnected domains of value and meaning. These domains are distinct and distinctively interwoven. Describing the cultural model(s) of Nature and identifying their role in the life of Lithuanian farmers is the subject of this study.
