美国重农神话与美国农业政策

美国建国初期,以杰弗逊为代表的农业民主主义者主张以农立国,美国这一农业理想有着深厚的欧洲渊源,深受18世纪浪漫田园传统的影响。19世纪早期美国北方工业化的大规模发展使这一农业理想受到严峻挑战,但它却以其顽强的生命力在美国文化中逐渐演变成为一种＂重农神话＂,或曰＂农业基要主义＂,其核心理念之一认为美国农民是公民美德的源泉所在,是美利坚共和国最为理想的公民,农民的声音就是民主与美德的声音;其二,农业是美国社会的基础,而且是一种美好的生活方式;其三,农业应该以一个家庭为单位,小型农场家庭是最理想的核心家庭,保护家庭农场是美国政府的重要职责。这些理念充分体现在了美国政府自罗斯福＂新政＂以来一贯对农业的各种形式的支持与补贴、对小型家庭农场的保护等传统,以及美国农业政策的浪漫化色彩之中。同时,重农神话产生的一些错误观念也使得美国农业政策呈现诸多弊端,政策范例的改革也因重农神话的存在而更加困难。因此,美国重农神话,作为政策制定背后的强大文化动因,对我们理解美国农业政策的历史和预测其将来的发展趋势至关重要。

American Agrarian Myth and American Agricultural Policy

Jefferson,one of the Founding Fathers of America,envisioned a purely agrarian future for the country.This agrarian ideal had its origins in ancient Greek and was strongly influenced by the 18th century romantic pastoralism.In the early 19th century,the agrarian ideal was challenged by the development of industrialism in the north,but due to its remarkable vigor,it gradually evolved into an agrarian myth（also called agricultural fundamentalism）.The core elements of this myth include：First,American farmers are the source of virtue,the ideal citizens of America,whose voice represents the voice of democracy;Second,farming is not only the fundamental base of American society,but also an ideal way of life;And finally,family-based farming is the best way of farming,and small farming family is the ideal nuclear family,therefore,to protect family farm should be one of the responsibilities of the American government.These core elements,very naturally,were fully embodied in American agricultural policies,specifically in the tradition of family farm preservation,and of various kinds of agricultural subsidies.Meanwhile,due to some wrong conceptions brought forth by the agrarian myth,some problems and paradigms inevitably occur in American agricultural policy.The pervasiveness of the agrarian myth has also prevented these policy paradigms from being easily altered or reformed.As a strong cultural motivation behind the making of American agricultural policies,the agrarian myth,therefore,is crucial not only to our understanding of the history of American agricultural policy,but also for our prediction of its future.