ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the strength of the peasant farm and, more generally, the peasant economy in world. It provides entrepreneurial and peasant farming from a Chayanovian perspective, discussing contrasting aspects of the two that are almost completely ignored by the standard neo-classical approach. The chapter also discusses how peasant farms are tied together through many relations of mutual support. It describes reservoir of informal and non-commoditized relations: the household, the family and nature of gender relations. The chapter focuses especially on the role of women in the peasant farm. It argues that there is no capital within peasant agriculture. Critical theory show that peasant agriculture that is only partially integrated in the markets better meets society's needs than an agriculture that is completely market-integrated—and by doing so it highlights the role of peasants in the twenty-first century and the need to ensure that their demands are met.
