Overall, the share of general services in total support increased from 11% in 1995-97 to 21% in 2009-11, however transfers to producers individually continue to be the major component of agricultural support in Kazakhstan. The %TSE in Kazakhstan is comparable to that in the European Union and the United States, and much smaller than in Ukraine and Russia, countries moving on a similar economic path as Kazakhstan. This is driven by several considerations. First, there is a desire to compensate for the decline the agricultural sector experienced during the early transition period. Second, development of agriculture is part of the overall strategy for economic diversification to reduce dependency on energy income. Third, agricultural output growth has been viewed as a key factor of food security, a view that has strengthened since the onset of the high food price volatility in 2008.