Peasants in Santiago del Estero (Argentina): the poverty of a sector that resists to its own disappearance (1988-2002)

Abstract

This essay analyses the relation between rural poverty and spatial occupation on agrarian structure in Santiago del Estero, province that belongs to the Great Argentine North region. This province is characterized by the presence of a high level of peasants which live in indefinite limits exploitations where the cattle plays an important role for the subsistence. The discussion focuses on the 1988-2002 period in order to examine the neoliberal penetration. Land´s possession problems (an old phenomenon) increased during this period of time because of concentration and polarization on the property regime. Likewise, this article describes several features related to neoliberalism on poor rural population using the national agrarian census and the index of home material privacy (IPMH). In spite of exacerbation of poverty, certain processes took place in order to contribute to peasantry resistance, avoiding its disappearance as a sector.