Seeking an Alternative Development Paradigm for Greek Agriculture

In the current global economic crisis, Greece has implemented austerity policies which have resulted in an unprecedented social catastrophe. An alternative development paradigm based on the reorganization of production for the benefit of popular forces must give considerable importance to agriculture. Greek agriculture has been transformed by neoliberal policies and the imperialist integration project of the European Union. This is reflected in changes in production orientation, the concentration of farmland and livestock, the deepening of agro-food dependence, rural depopulation and the shrinking incomes of small farmers. The outbreak of the financial crisis has intensified this condition, revealing essentially the crisis of the former developmental paradigm. The main question which arises is whether there is an objective possibility for a small country like Greece to take up the challenge of an alternative route. This article argues that, despite the many transformations, there remain objective possibilities for an alternative agricultural model based on production cooperatives and democratic social planning that will take into account domestic food requirements and the protection of small farmers.