Agricultural holdings with undefined boundaries, communal systems and counter‐hegemonies: The persistence of the peasantry in Argentina

Abstract

The presence of agricultural holdings with undefined boundaries (AHUBs) and their heterogeneous geographical distribution questions the supposed hegemony of agribusiness in Argentina. Given the lack of defined boundaries, these holdings generate a communal culture among dwellers, which is reflected in both the strategies of the use of commons and the initiatives for the defence of land in the conflicts between peasants and entrepreneurs. This article describes two counter‐enclosure experiences that were generated and have developed on the bedrock of AHUBs and a communal matrix. Those defence strategies are employed by families that possess the land but have not title to it, being a defence tactic against attempts of eviction. AHUB not only is a new census category that allows us to enhance our knowledge of the rural world but also proposes modes of production that differ from those of the capitalist model, showing possible counter‐hegemonic development alternatives that arise from the practices used in these holdings.

A framework for understanding land control transfer in agricultural commodity frontiers

“…Strategies of counter‐mapping and counter‐inscription, by means of community‐led territorial mapping and census initiatives, for example (Bauer, 2009; IIED, 2006; Shepard, 2002), are used to challenge tactics of control through imposed legibility, to assert presence, and to illuminate harms (Cooke, 2003; Huizenga, 2022; Wainwright & Bryan, 2009). Similarly, reactive strategies of counter‐enclosure, including demarcation, fencing, and titling, are used to match and thus most effectively challenge new claims to ownership (Paz, 2020). To mitigate the risks imparted by visibility, acts of overt resistance are often combined with networking tactics (e.g., connections with NGOs, alliances between regional organizations, etc.…”

“…A common adaptive strategy involves the conversion of land to ‘productive’ uses, namely, agriculture. By ‘fitting’ within the classification of what is deemed valuable, people are able to legitimize their claims and thus maintain control over land (Kenney‐Lazar, 2018; Kramp et al, 2022; Newhouse, 2017; Paz, 2020). For example, Kramp et al (2022) show how farmers in a northern Lao village, by replacing rice with rubber plantations and thus strategically engaging in a recent crop boom, have managed to secure their land rights.…”

Transiciones agroecológicas en cuatro experiencias comunitarias en Santiago del Estero, Argentina: su posible viabilidad y potencial emancipatorio desde múltiples alternativas / Agroecological transitions in four community experiences in Santiago del Estero, Argentina: their possible viability and emancipatory potential from multiple alternatives / Transitions agroécologiques dans quatre expériences communautaires à Santiago del Estero, Argentine : leur viabilité possible et leur potentiel émancipateur fac

“…Desde el incremento y desarrollo de la actividad ganadera y la instalación de las mejoras productivas, se buscó visibilizar el conflicto y en consecuencia sostener la posesión en los términos del derecho civil. La consigna en los encierros fue "cercar, producir y resistir", siendo la principal estrategia la realización de un alambrado perimetral y la consolidación de la producción con destino a los mercados como formas de resistencia (Paz, 2020).…”

La agroecología en disputa: una mirada desde el capital y la economía política

“…Territorios campesinos y territorios capitalistas son diferentes formas de propiedad que disputan el territorio" (Mançano2012, p. 6). tero, Argentina), una experiencia que nace y se desarrolla bajo el sustrato de lo comunal con 65 familias involucrando alrededor de 10.000 hectáreas (Paz, 2020). Tales estrategias de defensa son llevadas adelante por parte de las familias poseedoras sin título de dominio de la tierra, presentándose como una táctica de defensa frente a las tentativas de despojo.…”