Ideology and Land Reform in Latin America

Samenvatting

The abject poverty of most Latin American peasants has prompted constant call, from abroad, for land reform. Land reform has become so intertwined with ideological beliefs about future social structures that to implement it would cause upheaval of any measure of national stability that now exists. Land reform should redress income inequalities and increase production and productivity. With a redistribution of land must be added credit, marketing, seed supplies, fertilizer, etc., to raise production. Several alternatives for agricultural reform include: (1) organization--family, cooperative, collective, or state farms, (2) ownership--individual, communal, or state, (3) land use-- individual, communal, or state, and (4) management--individual, communal, or delegated and appointed manager. Each system has advantages and disadvantages which must be weighed at each step of land reform. Industrialization must expand rapidly to absorb those who cannot profit from farming. For collectivization to occur as an option, the people will have to become committed to an ideology that draws them together--probably socialism. The increasing intensity of the ideological debate does not mean reform can occur only through revolution; the more radical the idea the less likely it is to come about. The obligatory choice between radical and gradual change is what divides most ideological options for Latin American land reform. T. Babitsky