World irrigation (X): agricultural land and water development in Latin America (Part II)

摘要

When the subject of rural development is discussed in Latin America, it is referred to simply as an issue of agricultural production in most cases. Policy consciousness on rural problems has been focused on "rural" aspects as a counter position to "urban" matters. The introduction of land reform in almost all countries of Latin America has seemingly improved land tenure for farmers and peasants. In effect, land reform has changed the land ownership system to a certain degree. But, in reality, there are still big estate farmers, former estate owners who have purchased back their taken over land, or new enterprise-oriented farmers in agro-business companies who have expanded agricultural land by paying attractive sums of money to farmers or peasants who benefited from the land reform. Agro-business-oriented farmers have no interest in improving the rural environment. Their interest is merely good cheap input. Increase in the ;numbers of rural poor is inevitable under these conditions. Small farmers and peasants, beneficiaries of land reform, had a relaxed time for a short while after land reform. As in most Latin American urban regions, these temporarily rich farmers or peasants have no capacity other than agriculture; in urban areas they are simply unskilled workers. These small farmers or peasants, whose lands are far from urban areas, either developed production system very cleverly and obtained a good economic situation, or lent their lands to larger estates and themselves became agricultural workers in rural regions.