Economía Agraria

La cultura de potrero en Panamá

Olmedo Beluche

Olmedo Beluche

De la enorme pila de material bibliográfico que consulté para la elaboración de mi tesis doctoral, que intenta una historia agraria de Panamá, el libro que más me impresionó por la descripción de las formas de vida campesinas y su evolución en el tiempo es “De selvas a potreros. La colonización santeña en Panamá: 1850 – 1980”, del Dr. Stanley Heckadon-Moreno. Es un libro hermosamente redactado, que prueba que la ciencia no tiene que estar reñida con lo ameno, y que acierta en explicar las causas económicas capitalistas que le han impuesto al campesino azuerense la cultura de potrero, la cual  no hace parte de su propia naturaleza campesina.

Alguien de extracción puramente urbana solo puede aprender acerca de la cultura campesina, o através de libros maravillosos como el de Heckadon, o viviéndola personalmente.  Esta lectura me ha servido para racionalizar experiencias personales que adquirí gracias a la guía de Herasto Reyes, gran periodista y revolucionario originario de Vallerriquito, quien me presentó a los líderes del Movimiento Campesino de Veraguas, después Moviiento Campesino de Panamá, muchos de los cuales se habían organizado junto a Héctor Gallegos, en interminables giras desde Santa Fe a Montijo, pasando por Las Palmas, Cañazas y Viguí. Así conocí a algunos que ya no viven como Evaristo Ortega, y otros que siguen luchando, como “mi presidente”, Ricardo Barría.

Heckadon estudia la vida campesina a partir de una preocupación: la destrucción incesante de nuestros bosques. En 1950, tres cuartas partes de Centroamérica estaban cubiertas de bosques, pero en 2009 no llegaba al 30%. Es un proceso inclemente que liquida anualmente 376 mil hectáreas de bosque centroamericano y 50 mil hectáreas en Panamá. Aunque habitualmente se culpa al campesino santeño y su cultura agrícola de la deforestación, lo novedoso del libro de Heckadon es que demuestra que: la pequeña propiedad, combinada con la agricultura de roza para la subsistencia, mantiene un equilibrio con la naturaleza, hasta que el mercado capitalista y la necesidad creciente de dinero la transforman en una máquina de matar bosques.

Heckadon demuestra cómo durante el periodo colonial y la postindependencia, la agricultura de roza y la cría de ganado, aunque implicaba tala y quema, al garantizar la subsistencia de nuestros campesinos, estos también equilibraban su producción con pequeñas variaciones de parcelas y dejando tierras en descanso.

Otro descubrimiento inesperado del libro de Heckadon es la inexistencia de propiedad privada en el campo en Azuero, antes de 1850. La mayor parte  de la tierra era de propiedad comunal o municipal, principalmente los bosques aledaños a los pueblos, que compartían más o menos equilibradamente los ejidatarios, quienes poseían sus parcelas bajo un régimen de usufructo de hecho.

La destrucción de los bosques, la migración incesante a nuevas zonas, la degradación rápida de la tierra y su conversión en potreros cercados, a una hectárea por vaca, no son intrínsecos al campesinado, sino al desarrollo del sistema capitalista panameño a partir de la construcción del ferrocarril a mitad del siglo XIX, y con más fuerza a partir de 1903. Heckadon demuestra cómo la política liberal hizo de la propiedad comunal de la tierra el enemigo y cómo promovió e impuso en la cultura campesina la propiedad privada y la potrerización de la tierra mediante una cantidad de leyes que iniciaron con la república. Robo y privatización de la tierra de la que se aprovecharon algunos políticos encumbrados.

Fuente del articulo:http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=225573

Fuente de la imagen: http://www.rebelion.org/imagenes/221016_1.jpg

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Ethiopia’s Youth Bulge – From Problem to Opportunity

Noticias

Ethiopía/24 de Abril de 2017/Allafrica

Resumen: La juventud de Etiopía ha estado bajo el reflector recientemente por su papel en una protesta política que se ve amenaza la estabilidad. Pero el boom de la juventud de Etiopía no necesita ser un problema político. Se puede convertir en un músculo económico.

Ethiopia’s youth has come under the spotlight recently for their role in a political protest that is seen to be threatening stability. But Ethiopia’s youth bulge doesn’t need to be a political problem. It can be converted to an economic muscle.

Over the past 12 years Ethiopia has been lauded as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 10.8%. It has also seen a significant decline in poverty. In 2004 it had a poverty rate of 39% which had fallen to 23% by 2015.

But there’s a cloud hanging over the country. In 2016 it was hit by a drought that affected 10 million people. And a new drought has emerged again this year.

2016 also saw an outbreak of political protest. Although things are relatively calmer now, the state of emergency that was declared in October 2016 has been extended.

But Ethiopia still has a lot going for it, including a large youth population – over 70% of the country’s population is under 30 years of age. This could be turned to a massive advantage if backed by appropriate policies.

Ethiopia’s demographic profile mirrors China’s in the 1980s and of East Asian countries in the 1950s. The spectacular economic growth in East Asia in the second half of the 20th century is partly attributed to the demographic transition that supplied the economies with a young work force. The key to reaping this demographic dividend is, of course, that there are jobs for those joining the labour force.

While a young population can be a positive economic factor, it can also be a political risk in an economy that doesn’t create enough opportunities.

Until recently Ethiopia had avoided large scale political upheaval among young people. This was partly due to the government’s tight control of youth groups and surveillance of their activities. But recent unrest with youth at the helm signals huge problems, indicating that their livelihood and unemployment issues can no longer be suppressed or ignored. Addressing the problem head on is the smarter thing to do.

 The problem

Every year more than a million young Ethiopian men and women join the labour market. But the economy produces far fewer new jobs and opportunities. This is partly due to the structural make up of the largely agrarian economy.

Over 80% of Ethiopians live in rural areas. While the agricultural sector in Ethiopia has declined significantly as a contributor to the economy in the past decade and now accounts for less than 50% of the national product, it still employs more than 70% of the labour force.

Historically, most people who were born in rural areas tended to settle there. But land scarcity and population growth, coupled with limited non-farm employment opportunities has started pushing young people into the urban areas.

There aren’t enough jobs for them there either. Official statistics show that 30% of 20 to 24 year-olds in urban areas are unemployed. Some studies suggest that the actual rate is as high as 50%.

National level labour surveys and other studies suggest that young people with secondary education or more are the ones missing out the most from the flourishing economy. Many – about 70% – join the labour market with little or no practical or specialised training past the general secondary education.

 High aspirations and expectations

High levels of unemployment among educated young people is a troubling phenomenon. The country’s youth have increasingly higher aspirations and expectations due to the possibilities they see, given the country’s economic growth. They also have high expectations of what they believe they deserve as relatively educated people.

But not only are there no jobs, wages are often not high enough to support high living costs.

This gap between aspirations and economic reality is clearly becoming increasingly frustrating.

In focus groups of young people in different parts of southern Ethiopia we captured a deep sense of hopelessness and a fear that they would remain trapped in poverty.

For those living with their parents the main concern was that unemployment was «waiting for them» when they finished school. Many said that they previously thought that hard work at school was the way out of the life of poverty their parents had endured. Many were clearly itching to do something about their lives.

One sign of this pent up frustration is the surge in young people choosing to take the risk of irregular international migration even when they’ve been warned about the risks.

Ethiopia’s youth bulge can be an engine for growth as international companies look to set up operations where they can access low wage labour. On top of that, an increase in the number of young people working would boost demand and investment in the country.

But to transform young people into an engine of growth requires improving access to employment.

The government should create an enabling environment for the private sector by improving the country’s dismal business environment.

At the same time, it should design effective employment programmes. It’s recent effort to increase job opportunities for unemployed young people is a step in the right direction. But policymakers, politicians and those implementing policies should resist the temptation to use access to jobs and employment as a political tool.

Disclosure statement

Sosina Bezu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201704190823.html

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