ABSTRACT
Wehavesuggestedthatbiologicalconstraintsinagricultural productiongenerallyhaveimpededitsdirectandunified transformationbyindustrialcapital.Irrespectiveoftheform ofproductioninmodernagriculture,whetherfamilyfarmor corporateenterprise,thetechnicalbaseoftheproduction systemisintrinsicallythesame.Apartfromnotableexceptionsinlivestockproductionandhorticulture,industrial capitalhasbeenunabletorevolutionizetheagricultural productionprocesstoplaceitbeyondthetechnologicaland organizationalcapacityofthefamilyproducer.Althoughthere hasbeenapersistentincreaseinfarmsize,familyforms ofproductionhaveaccompaniedthistrendwithoutconcedingtechnologicalsuperioritytolargewage-labourenterprises.Theserelationsofexploitationarecapitalistbutthe labourprocessretainsrecognizablelinkswiththeinherited, artisan-basedpre-industrialactivity.Directproducerscontinuetobringtheirindividualblendofskills,experienceand judgmenttobearontheorganizationoftheimmediate productionprocess.Atthesametime,despitethetraditional appearanceofagriculture,technologicalchangehasdeveloped
commodityrelationsovercommodityrelationsinthemodeof consumption'(1979:80).Thepracticalimplicationsintermsof thephysicaldrudgeryoftheworkinglivesanddailyroutine ofmillionsofworking-classwomen-unrelievedbythemassproduced'whitegoods'ofthefordistmodeofconsumption - werevividlydescribedinChapter1.
