The author introduces us to the main ideas and concepts of Russian thinker Alexander Vasilievich Chayanov. Even today, Chayanov is an important reference in peasant studies and movements aroud the world. He wrote about the position of peasants within an economy that’s organized by capital, and the potential of the peasantry for social and political transformation. Van Der Ploeg reflects on the usefulness and potentials for translating Chayanov‘s findings and concepts into today‘s world. The text is a translation of the first chapter of Van Der Ploeg‘s Peasants and the Art of Farming (Fernwood Publishing, 2013).
