this is iirc more or less what Cuba has reverted to in order to implement post-Peak sustainable agriculture:  land is held as a commons by the State but the smallholder exercises individual judgment and initiative in farming, and is fully entitled to the land's productivity in usufruct (can market locally, respond to demand, try new crops etc)...  should a smallholder abuse the land or water systems presumably the State can step in to protect the commons.  I'd like to know more about how this is working, as it seems an elegant solution to the conundrum of protecting the biotic commons vs encouraging highly productive and sustainable small scale polyculture farming with a strong sense of personal investment and ownership.

The difference between theory and practise in practise ...