Agrarian Vision, Industrial Vision, and Rent-Seeking: A Viewpoint

Abstract

Many public debates about the societal significance and impact of agriculture are usefully framed by Paul Thompson’s distinction between the “agrarian” and the “industrial vision.” The key argument of the present paper is that the ongoing debate between these visions goes beyond academic philosophy and has direct effects on the political economy of agriculture by influencing the scope of rent-seeking activities that are undertaken primarily in the name of the agrarian vision. The existence of rent-seeking activities is shown to reflect the fact that the agrarian vision is not universally supported, which is certainly true of the industrial vision as well. The key argument of the present paper is that these two philosophical visions of agriculture are not radically incongruent. Rather, they share a common ground within which they are even mutually supportive. If agricultural policy making is oriented toward this common ground, it may reduce overall dissatisfaction with the resulting institutional regime of agricultural production. Such an agricultural policy may also stimulate the emergence of new business practices that not only enable efficient agricultural production but also minimize negative ecological impact and preserve cultural landscapes.

Indigenous agricultural practices employed by the Vhavenda community in the Musina local municipality to promote sustainable environmental management

“…These methods promote biological fertility and are not exclusive to Africa [ 52 ]. Such rural communities possess sophisticated perspectives on agrarian and natural resources [ 54 ]. Their use of various renewable farm resources as agricultural practices therefore allows them to reduce their dependence on external inputs by retaining a vast pool of indigenous knowledge of livestock management [ 26 ].…”

Circular Business Models and Circular Agriculture: Perceptions and Practices of Dutch Farmers

“…Therefore it is important to distinguish approaches-irrespective of whether we label such contrasting approaches adaptive and alternative, efficient and sufficient, or weak and strong sustainability-but at the same time to search for complementarity. Worth mentioning in this regard is that Jauernig et al [50] recently argued for trying to find the common ground of different visions-more specifically here the "agrarian" and "industrial" visions of agriculture-and looking for compatibility rather than accentuating distinction, controversy and incongruence between perspectives. Noteworthy too in this respect are the following words of Göpel [51] (p. 2): "We should not simply stick the label 'transformation' on any amendment to the status quo, or call each technological efficiency gain an 'innovation.'…”

Cultivating perceptions of farm culture: Perspectives from the Canadian prairies.

“…Cole (2010) defined an agrarian society as one that stresses the importance of agriculture as a family affair where land is passed down to heirs, despite hardships faced. Agrarian concepts and values have played a significant role in shaping the world of agriculture today and are fundamental to those who practice agriculture (Jauernig et al, 2020; Kelsey, 1994). In this article, we use the term farm culture synonymously with agrarianism and use the term to highlight family farming operations.…”