The agrarian crisis in late nineteenth century Spain: a reconsideration

Abstract

Although falling prices in the late nineteenth century led to significant changes in the agriculture of many European countries, changes in Spain were few, and labour productivity stagnated between 1880-1910. Tariffs delayed the need to move resources out of the sector, but perhaps more important was the fact that farmers faced weak demand for their products, and enjoyed few supply side incentives to increase productivity. Contemporaries rejected labour saving mechanisation as a solution and most believed a successful and prosperous agriculture needed to absorb, rather than shed, labour. But the state failed to provide policies which would have favoured labour intensive family farming.