To what extent should they be small farmers?
Much of the current left-wing movement, albeit intuitively, claims small-scale agriculture, without any doubt. However, this claim for smallness has its contradictions: a small farm, by definition, will not be able to produce a lot of food. And is that important? Well, in a sense, yes. The level of complexity a society can have depends on the surpluses it produces. For example, if a single producer can produce as many food as a thousand people, it means that only one in 1,000 people will have to worry about producing food.
The life time of others will be freed to perform other activities that are socially necessary: nurses, musicians, teachers, cleaners, engineers, craftsmen… In this case, the scale for the social division of labor could be provided in 1/1,000. If there are no surpluses in food production, all those involved in society should devote space to food production. It would be a society with a very low level of complexity.
If production were to be organised on the basis of collective interests, how far would we take the size and production capacity of the farms?
The point is that the size of the farm is closely related to the level of surpluses it can generate: the greater it is, the more it can be tecnized and mechanized. This makes it possible to increase the amount of food produced per person. However, this increase in quantitative production does not occur free of charge. As technification increases, the dependence on processes not directly controlled by the producer will increase, losing autonomy and increasing their level of alienation and dependence. Likewise, with the increase of the scale the ecological damage generated by the productive process increases, because the transformation of landscape and ecosystems is also carried out on a larger scale.
Nowadays, in capitalism, the size of exploitation is established by the market: below a level of scale and technification, food production is not profitable and nobody produces it professionally on that scale. But if this is not the case, and if production is organised by collective interests, how far would we take the size and production capacity of the farms? At what point would we solve the existing tension between the factors of scale technification, productivity, environmental, autonomy?
In my opinion, the collectivization of means and the principles of agroecology as guidelines, the expansion of the productive scale should be a field of testing, both in theoretical and practical terms.
Bidali zure iritzi artikuluak iritzia@argia.eus helbide elektronikora
ARGIAk ez du zertan bat etorri artikuluen edukiarekin. Idatzien gehienezko luzera 4.500 karakterekoa da (espazioak barne). Idazkera aldetik gutxieneko zuzentasun bat beharrezkoa da: batetik, ARGIAk ezin du hartu zuzenketa sakona egiteko lanik; bestetik, egitekotan edukia nahi gabe aldatzeko arriskua dago. ARGIAk azaleko zuzenketak edo moldaketak egingo dizkie artikuluei, behar izanez gero.
Heldu zaigu EAEn 2025-26 ikasturterako ikastetxeetan matrikula egiteko garaia, eta etxe askotan etxeko txikienak urrats berria emango du hemendik gutxira, irailean, eskolaratzea, alegia. Euskal Eskola Publikoaz Harro Topaguneko kideok apustu sendoa egiten dugu eskola publikoaren... [+]
Araba, Bizkai eta Gipuzkoarako Hezkuntza Lege berria onartu zenetik, aurrerantzean hezkuntza doakoa izango dela behin eta berriro entzuten/irakurtzen ari gara. Eragile desberdinei entzun diegu, baita Hezkuntza Sailari ere, eta hedabideei eskaintzen dizkiegun elkarrizketatan... [+]
Hilabetearen hasieran egin zuen EH Bilduk III. Kongresua, Iruñean. “Ez ohiko ondorioak” ateratzeko balio duen “ohiko kongresua” omen da, edo horrela jaso dute behintzat Zutunik ponentzian, zuzendaritzak proposatu eta militantziak aho batez onartu... [+]
There are many ways to gain power; not all are beautiful. There are those who want to divide the power and the responsibility that it entails with it, who seek authority. Others have a lot of respect for him and the fact that each step is so measured makes them unable to make a... [+]
A conference for architects has just been held in Madrid to discuss the crisis of the professional architect. They have distinguished the traditional and contemporary way of being an architect. What is traditional? From the epic architect who appears in The Brutalist, where... [+]
On February 3rd, the time has begun to pre-enroll our children and young people in schools, and as every year we would like to remind you why we do not think it is a good idea to enroll them in religion. Last year we finished the article saying that “many of you will be... [+]
From the Association of Parents of the Instituto Arratia Small Tram we want to encourage reflection on the use of screens in the learning community.
Lately there is a lot of concern about the impact of screens on children and adolescents. This responsibility extends from... [+]
Bai, bai, holaxe. Ez naiz harago joatera menturatzen. Pleonasmo bat dela? Tautologia bat agian? Baliteke, baina egia-oste deitzen dioten garai honetan, oinarri-oinarrizko egitateak beharrezkoak dira. Begira, bestela, “Ez da ez!” lelo indartsuari. Bagenekien hori... [+]
I had a friend who worked at Porcelana Irabia until they closed, and every time we went to a restaurant or a bar he looked at the mug and the ass of the dish to find out where the piece was made. I do the same thing when I go to the fairs of old things: I look where it is made,... [+]
Azken boladan gero eta gehiago entzuten dugu gazte askok etxebizitza erosteko ahalmenik ez dugula. Batzuetan, badirudi ez dagoela beste gairik; egia da gai serioa dela. Niri neuri ere, 31 gertu izan arren, oraindik pixka bat falta zait neurea izango den etxebizitza lortzeko... [+]
An ad jumps on my mobile in a long time. He promises to color my world. They say that with this app I will be able to buy like the millionaires. Cheap products, very cheap, even free. They have played on the marketing target that the sociological historical moment demands. This... [+]
There are concepts that appear everywhere during certain periods, which also become mantras. They appear to us in a positive and necessary way, without too much debate and without thinking about them. It seems to me that one of these mantras is internationalization, which has... [+]
In 2021 we began to hear the first echoes of the Guggenheim Urdaibai project. The then General Manager Unai Rementeria told us that it would be done yes or yes. To reinforce his claims, he left 40 million euros “shielded” by the time the museums were built. There it is!... [+]
"(The purpose of the Oion Plenary) is clear, to legitimize by law the energy megaprojects with significant irregularities in the processing"
Last Wednesday we had a hard and unpleasant day, not only for Labraza, but also for all the towns where we are threatened by a wind,... [+]