Abstract

TRENTI-VERY, Luis Carlos et al. Caprinoculture, Environment and Peasant Economy. An Analysis of Family Livestock Systems at San Luis Potosi's Semi-desert. Revista Col. San Luis [online]. 2021, vol.11, n.22, 00019.  Epub Feb 16, 2024. ISSN 2007-8846.  https://doi.org/10.21696/rcsl112220211313.

This paper describes the environmental and productive conditions of 20 goat husbandry units in the Mexican desert. Through interviews and ethnographic observation, relationships among the families, the land, the cattle, the environment, and the market are analyzed. It’s emphasized the importance of the goats in the arid lands since they only allow precarious subsistence for the peasants and their families. Paradoxically, it’s revealed that goat husbandry is not a profitable activity due to historical, socio-economical, and environmental conditions. Since the environment is an essential element for the working process and the social reproduction of the peasantry, we underline its importance. Our findings demonstrate the narrow connection between poverty and environmental degradation as a consequence of the formal subsumption of the labor form by capitalism.

Keywords : goat husbandry; family labor; environment; market; peasant economy.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )