Acequias as Commons

Christopher Gunn

Review of Radical Political Economics, 2016, vol. 48, issue 1, 81-92

Abstract: Acequias are a form of commons used to share scarce surface water for agricultural purposes. They have existed in the arid southwestern United States for centuries. In this paper I will argue that acequias are pre-capitalist organizations that convey important lessons for a post-capitalist world. The paper will also discuss La Vega, a grazing commons supported by the Hispanic culture. Both forms of the commons help to sustain low-income households many of whose members do not have regular or full-time wage-labor jobs, and they provide examples of sustainable agriculture in a fragile, high altitude environment. Within the study of political economy, they are an example of political struggles in the arena of material production and reproduction.

Keywords: acequia; commons; water; post-capitalism; food ecology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B50 N31 P26 P48 Q25 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:reorpe:v:48:y:2016:i:1:p:81-92

DOI: 10.1177/0486613415586987

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