A Critical Appraisal of Agrarian Policies in Central America

Wim Pelupessy and Ruerd Ruben

Chapter 1 in Agrarian Policies in Central America, 2000, pp 1-16 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The agrarian sector in Central America is accurately characterized by a high concentration of land ownership, fragmentation of rural factor and commodity markets and a limited degree of institutional development (Baumeister, 1987; Brockett, 1988). The traditionally polarized agrarian structure forced a large sector of the peasantry into production of basic grains for the domestic market, while agro- export production (coffee, banana, sugar cane, meat) and non- traditional crops are controlled by a small number of medium and large producers (Pelupessy, 1991: 160; 1997: 89). Agrarian reforms and other adjustment strategies only marginally changed rural society, since the economic conditions of production (relative prices, access to credit and services, availability of infrastructure) retained their agro-export bias. Relations of production of most of the rural working force and the main agro-export producers have remained unaffected by any kind of reform.

Keywords: Rural Development; Policy Instrument; Farm Household; Commodity Market; Land Reform (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-333-98270-9_1

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DOI: 10.1057/9780333982709_1

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