Page 326 - 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. 326
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
4.2 Economy, resources, and labour
4.2.1 Backåkers – struggle with a negative resource-labour loop
Erik expressed worries and gratitude, as well as what the family members
did on a daily basis, and which labour that was hired. Although we cannot
explicitly connect actions with causes and intentions, we can interpret ca-
usal relationships indirectly. Two conditions are central for understanding
the economy of the Backåkers farm. Firstly, the farm normally needed to
buy cereals, because of its small area of arable land. Secondly, the family
was haunted by the pressure of paying debt. Both created a need for a regu-
lar cash income.
Graph 13.1: Harvested grain at Hyttbäcken farm (barrels) 1860–1870
Source: HB, Farm accounts.
The number of hay-meadows harvested decreased from 26 in 1866 to
18 in 1867, and 15 in 1868–69, after which mowing increased again, to 19 in
1870 and 21 in 1871. One interpretation may be that mowing of fewer hay
meadows in 1867 (which was a good hay year) released labour for alterna-
tive resource use in response to expected increased costs for buying cere-
als following the crop failure of 1867. Erik prepared six kilns, compared to
four the previous year. The preparations for charcoal kilns started unusu-
ally early, already in the mowing season, and possibly as the crop failure
was already a fact. Another action for instantly improving the economy
was to sell a cow and a calf in October. In November one cow was slaugh-
324
4.2 Economy, resources, and labour
4.2.1 Backåkers – struggle with a negative resource-labour loop
Erik expressed worries and gratitude, as well as what the family members
did on a daily basis, and which labour that was hired. Although we cannot
explicitly connect actions with causes and intentions, we can interpret ca-
usal relationships indirectly. Two conditions are central for understanding
the economy of the Backåkers farm. Firstly, the farm normally needed to
buy cereals, because of its small area of arable land. Secondly, the family
was haunted by the pressure of paying debt. Both created a need for a regu-
lar cash income.
Graph 13.1: Harvested grain at Hyttbäcken farm (barrels) 1860–1870
Source: HB, Farm accounts.
The number of hay-meadows harvested decreased from 26 in 1866 to
18 in 1867, and 15 in 1868–69, after which mowing increased again, to 19 in
1870 and 21 in 1871. One interpretation may be that mowing of fewer hay
meadows in 1867 (which was a good hay year) released labour for alterna-
tive resource use in response to expected increased costs for buying cere-
als following the crop failure of 1867. Erik prepared six kilns, compared to
four the previous year. The preparations for charcoal kilns started unusu-
ally early, already in the mowing season, and possibly as the crop failure
was already a fact. Another action for instantly improving the economy
was to sell a cow and a calf in October. In November one cow was slaugh-
324
