Jim Handy—History of Inequality in Agriculture
Dr. Jim Handy highlights historical research from around the world that demonstrates the benefits of very small scale (peasant) production and lifestyles. These benefits include the most efficient food production, reduced poverty, and vibrant communities. The reverse has also been true; policies designed to take land away from peasants, to impose large farms and to benefit those with capital to invest, have led to increased poverty, less robust rural communities, and food scarcity. Listeners are encouraged to think about how this historical research has relevance in the current (and future) Canadian context.
Jim Handy is a Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Saskatchewan, where he has taught for 38 years. He has written four books (and one Detective novel) and more than thirty articles, mostly focused on peasant livelihoods around the world and the ways these livelihoods have been attacked. His most recent books are Apostles of Inequality: Rural Poverty, Political Economy and the Economist, 1760-1860 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022 and Tiny Engines of Abundance: A History of Peasant Productivity and Repression Halifax: Fernwood Press, 2022.