Algeria's vineyards: an Islamic dilemma and a problem of decolonisation.
Abstract Algeria's viticultural industry represents an example of the way a colonial legacy can turn into a problem of dependency, the solution to which represents an issue of decolonisation and adjustment. An added dimension is the cultural inappropriateness of viticultural production in an increasingly Islamic country. By late colonial times Algeria's wine exports represented over half of its exports by value. To add economic independence to political independence threatened serious financial and employment losses, so any opportunity to avoid the reconversion of the now culturally inappropriate vineyards seemed attractive. Eventually, with the growth of hydrocarbon revenues, the reconversion and reconstitution of Algeria's vineyards proved possible during the 1970s. However, 20 years after independence, Algeria still had nearly half the 1962 area of vineyards, though with markedly lower yields and marketing at lower prices. The colonial legacy has now turned into an economic liability and has been tackl...
Algeria's vineyards. A problem of decolonisation
L'activite viticole algerienne est exemplaire de la maniere dont un heritage colonial peut devenir un probleme de dependance, dont la solution est une affaire de decolonisation et de compromis. Vers la fin de l'ere coloniale les exportations algeriennes de vin s'elevaient a plus de la moitie des exportations nationales en valeur. Ajouter l'independance economique a l'independance politique menacait d'entrainer de serieuses pertes de devises et d'emploi et ainsi, toute occasion d'eviter la reconversion de ces vignobles, si peu appropries sur le plan culturel, apparaissait comme une politique seduisante. En partie grâce a la croissance des revenus petroliers, la reconversion et la reconstitution des vignobles algeriens furent rendues possibles pendant les annees soixante dix. Cependant, vingt ans apres l'independance il reste en Algerie presque la moitie de la superficie viticole de 1962, mais les rendements sont beaucoup plus faibles et la valeur commerciale plus basse. L' heritage colonial s' est transforme en un poids economique qu'on a cherche a resoudre d'une maniere moins tranchee que les autres problemes de decolonisation.
Avocado Flowering 1
The avocado (Persea americana Mill.) has increased in importance over the years in many countries around the world. The United States, Mexico and Brazil lead in world commercial production, while Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, Cyprus, Canary Islands, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Greece, and the Caribbean area are actively increasing commercial production (B.O. Bergh, personal communication; Gustafson 1976). The history of the avocado has been detailed by Gustafson (1973, 1975,1976) and others (Bergh 1975b, Knight 1980; Popenoe 1924; Ruehle 1958; Schroeder 1958; Williams 1976). Several reviews have been published on various aspects of the avocado, including its botany (Knight 1980; Purseglove 1968; Williams 1976), breeding (Bergh 1975b), horticulture (Hodgson 1930b; Ruehle 1958; Ryerson et al. 1924), cultivars (Campbell and Malo 1976), and pollination (Gustafson and Bergh 1966). A recent collection of papers discussing the horticultural aspects of avocado production is found in Sauls et al. (1976).