The growth of barter clubs, which started in 1995 and now
involve about a
million Argentines, is a reflection of the country's deep economic
crisis.
[...]
Now, the Menelle family wants to go back, "for these three reasons:
no
money, no money and no money," he said, standing in the visa queue
outside
the Italian consulate.
[...]
Argentina's large middle class has been responsible for the unprecedented
growth in barter clubs. The idea of creating community credits to trade
products or services first emerged in Canada in the early 1980s but has
only caught on as a mass phenomenon in Argentina.
****
More specifically, the first LETSystem in the Comox Valley in 1982.
www.gmlets.u-net.com/