While the cities, especially large cities, are as capitalist and as ‘western’ as you can imagine, the villages have a hard time making a go in a political and economic climate that largely ignores them. The agricultural production in the previous system was very much a planned and coordinated affair, at least in this part of Croatia. It revolved around meeting the needs of large state owned meat and food processors. The system worked somewhat like a co-op and a lot of people made a decent living both, on the farm and the factory floor. Things have changed dramatically and the bottom line is what today’s factory owners are interested in more than the stability and sustainability of the system.

While implementing more efficient technologies and training factory workers in its use was relatively easy, changing the village is infinitely more difficult. There are several reasons for it. The villages are by their nature more traditional and people are a bit more suspicious of change. Young people are deserting the villages for myriad of possibilities in the cities. The government, to give it credit, is providing some financial support to those who want to engage in tourism or develop some other initiative outside of traditional village occupations. For those who want to be farmers, there seems to be little help.

The young farmer in the photo is one of the few who remained in Čigoč village to pursue a farming career. He has sunk all of his capital in modern farming machinery and now has no options left but to work the land.

Čigoč is an interesting place because it is one of the more important villages within the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park. It is rich in natural and cultural heritage and it is slowly developing tourism as well as trying to maintain its traditional agricultural base. The old-fashioned brick barn is part of a larger complex of buildings that include some traditional wooden houses that I will write a lot more about later.

Over the next few months I will be photographing a lot in the villages along Sava river. Originally I was thinking of shooting on black and white film, but, somehow, it became a digital project, which is maybe for the best.

Croatian word of the day: tranzicija: transition