Display:
In France, much of the best farming land actually belongs to Credit Agricole you know...
The richest crop farmers in Beauce are renters or even plain salarymen of a bank subsidiary. These are the very same agri-biznesses that reap most of the EU subsidies.

Pierre
by Pierre on Mon Aug 17th, 2009 at 09:48:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's a bit different here I guess. While big companies and the state own maybe half of all the forests in the country, I don't know any farmers who don't own their own land. The only place where that'd be the I'd say would be just around where I live, because the University got lots of land in a donation from the King 300+ years ago... But even those who farm university lands usually buy it eventually. As a farner you want to own your own house and land, right? Anything else would be seen as... I don't know... communism?

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Mon Aug 17th, 2009 at 12:05:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
As a farner you want to own your own house and land, right? Anything else would be seen as... I don't know... communism?

Of course, everybody should own their own house and land. But should people also own other people's houses and lands? And tax their labour and invested capital? That is what rents, according to theory, do..

by kjr63 on Mon Aug 17th, 2009 at 12:37:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm not talking about everyone, I'm talking about farmers. Kolchoz/hacienda-culture seems completely alien to me.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Mon Aug 17th, 2009 at 01:01:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Starvid:
As a farner you want to own your own house and land, right? Anything else would be seen as... I don't know... communism?
Ever heard of indentured farmers, journeymen, tenant farmers, and all that good stuff you get in more Southernly latitudes and Westernly longitudes? It is, in fact, the attempt to get land out of the hands of absentee landowners and into the hands of those that work the land that is usually decried as Communism.

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Aug 17th, 2009 at 12:53:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password
Occasional Series