This paper critiques state-led strategies for land consolidation ill Central and Eastern Europe. The critique builds on empirical research about the dynamics of land fragmentation and its presumable effects oil cropland abandonment ill Albania. Research results indicate that cropland abandonment was driven by a massive turn to non-farm opportunities, especially migration. Land fragmentation was not a rigid constraint oil production but resulted from producers' strategic risk spreading. The negotiated nature of land tenure question the emphasis on state initiatives and administrative procedures in post-socialist land consolidation. Central and Eastern European states instead need to support desirable adaptations initiated by local communities. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All right reserved.