The Changing Mode of Production in American Agriculture: Emerging Conflicts in Agriculture's Role in the Reproduction of Advanced Capitalism

Abstract

This paper has two major objectives: (1) to present and contrast the perception of certain policy issues associated with United States agricultural structure from both the neoclassical and neo-Marxist paradigms, and (2) to trace out the broad contours of United States agricultural structural change in terms of interpretations from the neo-Marxist paradigm. Although populist ideology has dominated progressive discussion of American agricultural de-velopment such discussion has been confused by the populist failure to recognize the distinction between independent production, independent commodity production and capitalist production. The result has been poor understanding of the basic factors causing agricultural structural change and largely ineffective policy prescriptions to deal with the change. While the structural change characterizing American agriculture is not well described by the Marxist model, the reasons can be located in peculiar circumstances of the post World War II American and world economies. This led to the phenomenon of part-time farming which in the United States disguised the emergence of capitalist agriculture. It now seems likely that the basis on which part-time farming flourished in its commodity aspects is being eliminated; in which case the destruction of independent commodity production in agriculture will become more apparent. It is clear that as a result of the transformation of United States agriculture its role in the smooth reproduction of United States capitalism must change and may be characterized by increasing conflict. At one time agriculture could function as an important source and regulator of industrial labor supply. Now, due to the long-run substitution of capital for labor in agriculture, the agricultural sector is no longer able to absorb or release important quantities of surplus labor. Additionally, increases in agricultural surplus, an important source of industrial profits, are going to be harder to achieve.