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The Role of Biotechnology in the Agro-Food System and the Socialist Horizon

The Role of Biotechnology in the Agro-Food System and the Socialist Horizon George Liodakis The Role of Biotechnology in the Agro-Food System and the Socialist Horizon I. Introduction In all class societies, the dominant problem for any ruling class is the production and appropriation of surplus product. Under the capitalist mode of production, this issue is essentially determined by the class appropriation of the means of production and subsistence. The ensuing process o f ‘primi- tive accumulation’ concerns not only the original, historical establishment of the capitalist mode of production (CMP), but also informs its evolution and the contemporary process of capital accumulation. In capitalism, as in all societies, the production and provision of food is of fundamental importance, not only because it directly affects social welfare, but also because it essentially determines the repro- duction costs of the direct producers themselves, and hence the potential of producing an economic surplus. The role of technology, which should be conceived as a key ins trument in the metabolic relation between human beings and nature, is also of paramount importance in determining, historically, Historical Materialism , volume 11:1 (37–74) © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2003 Also available online – www.brill.nl the possibilities for surplus production. 1 By increasing labour productivity, the development http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Historical Materialism Brill

The Role of Biotechnology in the Agro-Food System and the Socialist Horizon

Historical Materialism , Volume 11 (1): 37 – Jan 1, 2003

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References (62)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2003 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1465-4466
eISSN
1569-206X
DOI
10.1163/156920603321624730
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

George Liodakis The Role of Biotechnology in the Agro-Food System and the Socialist Horizon I. Introduction In all class societies, the dominant problem for any ruling class is the production and appropriation of surplus product. Under the capitalist mode of production, this issue is essentially determined by the class appropriation of the means of production and subsistence. The ensuing process o f ‘primi- tive accumulation’ concerns not only the original, historical establishment of the capitalist mode of production (CMP), but also informs its evolution and the contemporary process of capital accumulation. In capitalism, as in all societies, the production and provision of food is of fundamental importance, not only because it directly affects social welfare, but also because it essentially determines the repro- duction costs of the direct producers themselves, and hence the potential of producing an economic surplus. The role of technology, which should be conceived as a key ins trument in the metabolic relation between human beings and nature, is also of paramount importance in determining, historically, Historical Materialism , volume 11:1 (37–74) © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2003 Also available online – www.brill.nl the possibilities for surplus production. 1 By increasing labour productivity, the development

Journal

Historical MaterialismBrill

Published: Jan 1, 2003

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