Page 126 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 126
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
households did not have any of these options. They solved that by employ-
ing a maid for the summer, and a labour market among subsistence peas-
ants developed. The maids were usually poor women from small house-
holds (J. Larsson 2014).
Since animal husbandry was the backbone in agricultural production
in many areas where CPRs were important for the economy, a few things
about its organisation must be stressed to understand how an integrated
peasant economy could develop. First, all women over the age of 10 worked;
25% of them worked at summer farms each summer. This allowed the rest
(75% of the women and all men) to do other tasks during the busy summer
season (see also Netting 1981, 65). During the summer, many were busy col-
lecting winter fodder for the animals, a task that was defining for alpine
transhumance, and doing other agricultural chores. However, this change
in labour division also opened up the possibility of working in non-agricul-
ture jobs. Second, for animal husbandry to work, subsistent peasants need-
ed to employ maids, thus creating a labour market to maintain the system.
Hence, peasants were open to hiring people to maintain their household
economy, as well as working outside the household to bring in money and
other assets.
The final important aspect is that production itself at summer farms
was part of the development of an integrated economy. Even though most
of the products made at summer farms were used for subsistence, some of
them, mostly butter, were sold at markets. More importantly, though, was
the production of hides and wool, products that entered commerce in the
forms of fabric, clothes, leather, blankets, etc. Section III provides more de-
tails.
2.1 Settlement development and farm division
Here we look more deeply into aspects of settlement development that
affected the rise of a more integrated economy: first, the increase in specia-
lised use of landscapes, and second, the connection between rapid farm di-
vision and forest resources.
During the 17th century, a structural change in landscape use occurred
in the Dalarna region, resulting in a more specialised landscape. The num-
ber of homesteads in villages in the central areas of each parish increased,
while permanent settlements in more wooded areas where abandoned or
decreased in number. At the same time, the settlements in central areas
changed character. They went from a more scattered distribution of home-
124
households did not have any of these options. They solved that by employ-
ing a maid for the summer, and a labour market among subsistence peas-
ants developed. The maids were usually poor women from small house-
holds (J. Larsson 2014).
Since animal husbandry was the backbone in agricultural production
in many areas where CPRs were important for the economy, a few things
about its organisation must be stressed to understand how an integrated
peasant economy could develop. First, all women over the age of 10 worked;
25% of them worked at summer farms each summer. This allowed the rest
(75% of the women and all men) to do other tasks during the busy summer
season (see also Netting 1981, 65). During the summer, many were busy col-
lecting winter fodder for the animals, a task that was defining for alpine
transhumance, and doing other agricultural chores. However, this change
in labour division also opened up the possibility of working in non-agricul-
ture jobs. Second, for animal husbandry to work, subsistent peasants need-
ed to employ maids, thus creating a labour market to maintain the system.
Hence, peasants were open to hiring people to maintain their household
economy, as well as working outside the household to bring in money and
other assets.
The final important aspect is that production itself at summer farms
was part of the development of an integrated economy. Even though most
of the products made at summer farms were used for subsistence, some of
them, mostly butter, were sold at markets. More importantly, though, was
the production of hides and wool, products that entered commerce in the
forms of fabric, clothes, leather, blankets, etc. Section III provides more de-
tails.
2.1 Settlement development and farm division
Here we look more deeply into aspects of settlement development that
affected the rise of a more integrated economy: first, the increase in specia-
lised use of landscapes, and second, the connection between rapid farm di-
vision and forest resources.
During the 17th century, a structural change in landscape use occurred
in the Dalarna region, resulting in a more specialised landscape. The num-
ber of homesteads in villages in the central areas of each parish increased,
while permanent settlements in more wooded areas where abandoned or
decreased in number. At the same time, the settlements in central areas
changed character. They went from a more scattered distribution of home-
124
