Land reform & agriculture globalisationSpain (1931-1939), Cuba (1990-2008) and the food sovereignty approach

Resumen

Agricultural growth should be a key component of economic agendas (of economic growth with equity) in developing countries. This book moves from the old to the new agrarian question. It initially discusses the redistributive problems during the Spanish Second Republic (1931-1939). Accordingly, this chapter explores agrarian reform (also from a historiographic perspective) under the political polarisation process of the 1930s to understand how this context reduced reform options. The limits of the political conjuncture to implement reforms demonstrate its shortcomings in Cuba. During the Special Period, the island was forced to enhance sustainable peasant food production.Although this alternative evolved towards food import substitution, the model still faces significant weaknesses to feed the population. Finally, the book links previous debates on land reforms to the main dimensions of `food sovereignty' based on people's right to food; this issue represents the new agrarian question problems in developing countries.This book might attract the interest of historians, political analysts, economists (devoted to public action) and ecologists engaged in sustainable development issues.