permaculture

[Douglas Hinds <cedecor@gmx.net>]

On 12/22/2012 10:06 PM, Lawrence London wrote:
> Hungary bars foreigners from buying farmland | The Raw Story
> http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/22/hungary-bars-foreigners-from-buying-farmland/

Good for Hungary!  The article states as follows (emphasis added by me):

   /Hungary has amended its constitution to bar foreigners from buying
   farmland, a move the government called "historic," but one that
   could cause friction with the European Union./

   /Foreigners are already blocked from buying farmland under a
   temporary measure that formed part of Hungary's EU accession
   agreement in 2003./

   /But that measure, _aimed at helping Hungary avoid seeing its land
   prices soar_ to catch up with other EU states including neighbouring
   Austria, was originally set to expire in 2011, though was extended
   until the end of April 2014./

   /Hungarian lawmakers on December 17 voted by a large majority to
   amend the constitution to bar foreigners from buying Hungarian
   farmland./

   /"_The constitution will guard Hungarian land as a national
   treasure, our common inheritance and basis for our living, and
   protect it from domestic and foreign speculators_," a statement from
   the rural development ministry said./

   /The vote was a "historic decision" and the "beginning of a new era
   for agriculture," it continued./

   /The government says *farmland needs to be protected from
   speculators and bankers looking to score bargains at the expense of
   farmers*.//
   /


Many of you in the USA (an overpopulated country surrounded by 2 oceans, 
a sparely populated nation to the north and a country that speaks 
another language and has a different culture, to the south) are isolated 
from what goes on in the rest of the world.

Land is a finite substance that fills a fundamental need and therefore 
should NEVER be used for speculative purposes, which does in fact drive 
it's value up in an artificial way, since it's being used to _make 
money_ rather than produce food or provide housing, both of which (along 
with clean air) are basic needs.

_For that reason_ many countries have recognized the validity (because 
the need for it is basic and real), to legislate Agrarian Reform Laws 
that limit the amount of land a person can own and reserve land 
ownership for it's own citizens.  Otherwise wealthy (and often 
rapacious) "investors" from anywhere can compete with each other, drive 
land costs sky high and thus deprive  farmers and natives of the 
opportunity to own their own land (as is happening in many countries in 
Africa).

In the USA, where money is an end in itself (rather than a means of 
exchange), for many, most probably ignore the importance of this 
extremely important principle.

So once again:  Good for Hungary!