Agrarian structures in north western Iberia. Responses and their implications for development

The mesh of several agrarian structures in Galicia, North Western Iberia, are recognized as being, with other factors, key forces which have precluded most sectors of society from reaping rewards from a generally physically well endowed region. Historical factors, such as the region's administration in the past, which managed it more like a colony than an integral part of the state, have contributed to Galicia's problems. The spatial organization of rural society and the rural economy has been transformed in the last century into a closed system referred to as minifundismo which manifests significant regional contrasts, but remains essentially a subsistance system of prodution. It is demonstrated that minifundismo cannot revitalize itself, because of its structure, and contemporary rural policies of the government are achieving little, as effects rather than causes of the difficulties are being tackled. Future prospects in the short and medium term for Galicia remain bleak unless a dynamic sweeping policy of integrated, rural, structural reform is implemented which aims to tackle the problem at several levels.