This, the imposition of crops in terrain not exactly suitable, is critical- and an index to the inadequacy, and dominance, of the world markets regarding human needs. Similar process goes on in Africa.
Even where the terrain, the climate,can support a particular crop or crops, production has little to do with human needs, the domestic market, or more precisely, production only has tangential relationship to human needs, use being subsumed and overwhelmed by exchange. In a very real sense, the problem is not that modern, advanced capitalism has imposed or maintained "underdevelopment" of the domestic market, and the prospects for "national capitalism," but that the needs of modern capitalism, of the world market, are in fact so physically and socially unsuited for any type of development in so many areas of the world. It is this combination of "natural" and "social" inadequacy that is the simultaneously the birthmark, the maturation, and the decay of world market. Capitalism in a nutshell, (and in the production of nuts). If I remember correctly (no sure thing these days), wheat really doesn't do well in the tropical and semi-tropical soil and climate of Venezuela- corn does much better. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Perelman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <PEN-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 10:50 PM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Deepening class struggle in Venezuela > Much of Latin America has adopted European diets even though much of its land is not > suitable for such crops. Slashing down an Amazonian rain forest can produce soy > beans for while, it will be unsustainable. I don't have a good feel for Venezuela's > geography, but I suspect that corn and (largely bred for Midwestern conditions) and > wheat are not appropriate crops. > As David mentioned, haciendas typically do not have much labor -- except perhaps > during harvest or planting. > Finally, the much vaunted US agricultural productivity depends heavily on fossil > fuel, depleting the soil, and an intensive use of chemicals. > > -- Michael Perelman > Economics Department California State University > Chico, CA 95929 > > Tel. 530-898-5321 > E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu > michaelperelman.wordpress.com >
