[Marxism] Expansion of private Cuban farms: CNN video

[dave.walters@xxxxxxxxxxx]

People who have studied the Cuban Revolution know that 
Cuban never engaged in any forced collectivization. Most 
rural farmers had worked for wages so when the collectivization 
of these large latifundias were collectivized, it was more 
akin to the voluntary collectivization of the Spanish revolution 
than it was compared to the forced collectivization of the 
USSR's first Five Year plan in which millions supposedly died.

The small number of existing Cuban farmers on smaller single-
family plots were simply left alone and, benefited from the general 
socialized benefits of the Cuban revolution. Off and on and 
they have always been able to sell their surplus products to 
either the state or, in private markets.

CNN has a short video that shows some of the changes that 
Raul Castro has implemented or will implement to address 
Cuba's food shortage, which CNN states relies on 80% of it's 
food to be inported. Cuba has never done well in food production.

It is my personal belief that within limits, anything the  state 
can't provide through it's own organization of agriculture 
should be allowed to be made up by private farmers...otherwise 
there are shortages, scarcity, bureaucracy and bureaucratic 
privilege.  An analysis of *why* Cuba's agricultural state 
production sucks is something I await. But, clearly, they have 
never been able to address is sufficiently to turn it around.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/16/cuba.farming/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

David

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