President Garcia said in Chicago that the smallholding "is totally impro-ductive and a tragedy for the country", that the profitability of agriculture is consolidating when the producer has a minimum of 20 acres .... " [1]
turns out that in Peru, according to the 1994 agricultural census, 92.2% of farms have less than 20 hectares. If smallholders are referring to the vast majority of production units Peru's land, contrary to what is in the presidential you would be a tragedy for the country that did not exist, because they provide 71.5% of the gross value of domestic agricultural production. They are the basis of food security in Peru, as seven of every 10 tons are produced by these small farms. [2]
President confuses small commercial agriculture with small farms. Agriculture small-let us call it, arbitrarily, which has between 5 and 20 hectares of land under irrigation, can be economically viable if there was a favorable context. Favorable context is access to credit, assistance technical, roads, access to public goods (information, communication, education, health, etc.). In this state, ruled today by President Garcia, has a great responsibility that is assumed. By contrast, large-scale agriculture does not need state support, although he gives it in different ways (selling land irrigated by public investment at prices below costs, mounting export promotion offices). Not everything is the fault of the current government: the government of former President Fujimori dismantled what little they had government support to small farmers, and the following governments did nothing for it.) Yet
without a favorable context of smallholder agriculture has demonstrated its ability to progress. The case of coffee - most of them smallholders by the standards of pre-sident - organized into cooperatives, associated with the Coffee Board, have managed to overcome a serious crisis of low prices to guide production to gourmet and organic coffee.
President Garcia rightly recommended that drives the formation of associations, small farmers to overcome some disadvantages of the small scale of production. But here too the government has a role to play in providing, for instance, access to certain services to small farmers who are associated.
But what about the small farms 'real', those which neither one hectare, which are also hundreds of thousands, home to the very poor? Imagine García chairman what would happen if they had the hectare, which allowed for better or worse pro-duce some of the food they need to survive and a space for housing. These smallholder families must also engage in other economic activities to supplement their income, so their members migrate temporarily or defi-nitely. This sector of the rural poor numerosísimo have great benefits if it were happening in Peru not only a political - administra-tive, but also a decentralized economic development. The multiplication and diversification of rural economic activities and the strengthening of relations between the countryside and small towns and intermediate open new opportunities for small land holdings-ists who, without necessarily having to abandon their lands' to be viable agricultural land 20 or more acres', would agree to a diversified labor market. Today is a strategy called 'development land'. Also here is for the central government task guidance and encouragement.
At the same time the President García said it should stop growing rice because it is not profitable and consumes a lot of water. But it is being delivered tens of thousands of land for sugar cane cultivation - cultivation is also a large consumer of water - to produce ethanol for export by pre-em-large companies (who are demanding tax breaks to be profitable!). At least the rice used to feed the population and is a source of income for thousands of small farmers! And it Sierra Exportadora program that looks more like a program for large investors to take advantage of the ecological peculiarities of this re-gion that to help some of the peasants (most of them small farmers) to escape poverty. Otherwise it can be understood the statements of Mr. Benza, president of the Program, 200 000 hectares devoted to cultivation of inputs for biodiesel exports.
concern is that behind the president's words may be intended to guide the development of agriculture by the end of the consolidation of large agricultural companies dedicated to exports, and continue to ignore the needs of hundreds of thousands of families 'smallholders' and the very concept of rural development.
[1] See El Peruano, Tuesday April 17, 2007.
[2] After thirteen years, it's time the government makes a new agricultural census to update this information, without which it is difficult to design and implement rural development policies.
turns out that in Peru, according to the 1994 agricultural census, 92.2% of farms have less than 20 hectares. If smallholders are referring to the vast majority of production units Peru's land, contrary to what is in the presidential you would be a tragedy for the country that did not exist, because they provide 71.5% of the gross value of domestic agricultural production. They are the basis of food security in Peru, as seven of every 10 tons are produced by these small farms. [2]
President confuses small commercial agriculture with small farms. Agriculture small-let us call it, arbitrarily, which has between 5 and 20 hectares of land under irrigation, can be economically viable if there was a favorable context. Favorable context is access to credit, assistance technical, roads, access to public goods (information, communication, education, health, etc.). In this state, ruled today by President Garcia, has a great responsibility that is assumed. By contrast, large-scale agriculture does not need state support, although he gives it in different ways (selling land irrigated by public investment at prices below costs, mounting export promotion offices). Not everything is the fault of the current government: the government of former President Fujimori dismantled what little they had government support to small farmers, and the following governments did nothing for it.) Yet
without a favorable context of smallholder agriculture has demonstrated its ability to progress. The case of coffee - most of them smallholders by the standards of pre-sident - organized into cooperatives, associated with the Coffee Board, have managed to overcome a serious crisis of low prices to guide production to gourmet and organic coffee.
President Garcia rightly recommended that drives the formation of associations, small farmers to overcome some disadvantages of the small scale of production. But here too the government has a role to play in providing, for instance, access to certain services to small farmers who are associated.
But what about the small farms 'real', those which neither one hectare, which are also hundreds of thousands, home to the very poor? Imagine García chairman what would happen if they had the hectare, which allowed for better or worse pro-duce some of the food they need to survive and a space for housing. These smallholder families must also engage in other economic activities to supplement their income, so their members migrate temporarily or defi-nitely. This sector of the rural poor numerosísimo have great benefits if it were happening in Peru not only a political - administra-tive, but also a decentralized economic development. The multiplication and diversification of rural economic activities and the strengthening of relations between the countryside and small towns and intermediate open new opportunities for small land holdings-ists who, without necessarily having to abandon their lands' to be viable agricultural land 20 or more acres', would agree to a diversified labor market. Today is a strategy called 'development land'. Also here is for the central government task guidance and encouragement.
At the same time the President García said it should stop growing rice because it is not profitable and consumes a lot of water. But it is being delivered tens of thousands of land for sugar cane cultivation - cultivation is also a large consumer of water - to produce ethanol for export by pre-em-large companies (who are demanding tax breaks to be profitable!). At least the rice used to feed the population and is a source of income for thousands of small farmers! And it Sierra Exportadora program that looks more like a program for large investors to take advantage of the ecological peculiarities of this re-gion that to help some of the peasants (most of them small farmers) to escape poverty. Otherwise it can be understood the statements of Mr. Benza, president of the Program, 200 000 hectares devoted to cultivation of inputs for biodiesel exports.
concern is that behind the president's words may be intended to guide the development of agriculture by the end of the consolidation of large agricultural companies dedicated to exports, and continue to ignore the needs of hundreds of thousands of families 'smallholders' and the very concept of rural development.
[1] See El Peruano, Tuesday April 17, 2007.
[2] After thirteen years, it's time the government makes a new agricultural census to update this information, without which it is difficult to design and implement rural development policies.
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