‖ minifundium, n.
(mɪnɪˈfʊndɪəm)
Pl. minifundia.
[mod.L., f. mini- + latifundium n.; cf. *minifundio n.]
In Latin America: a smallholding; esp. an estate too small to support a single family. Usu. in pl.
| 1950 Basis Devel. Program for Colombia (Internat. Bank for Reconstruction & Devel.) v. 63 In many areas..the problem of ‘minifundia’, or excessive parcelization of the land into uneconomic patches, prevents efficient land use. 1970 S. L. Barraclough in I. L. Horowitz Masses in Lat. Amer. iv. 130 The minifundia by definition are too small to provide full employment for the family labor force using customary techniques. 1988 New Leader 21 Sept. 6/2 The vast majority of [Haitian] natives are as independent and prideful as their forebears—who threw out the French in 1805 and then split the land into minifundia, making each peasant master of his domain. |