scholarly journals Agri-Food Markets towards Agroecology: Tensions and Compromises Faced by Small-Scale Farmers in Brazil and Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3096
Author(s):  
Estevan Felipe Pizarro Muñoz ◽  
Paulo André Niederle ◽  
Bernardo Corrado de Gennaro ◽  
Luigi Roselli
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Political ◽  
Food Markets ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Landless Movement ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

One of the main dilemmas faced by small-scale farmers’ movements advocating for agroecology in Latin America lies in the trade-offs between the economic opportunities arising from the organic food market expansion, and the political principles at the core of their action. To provide insights on this issue, a survey was performed in Brazil and Chile. Between March 2016 and December 2018, data were collected through direct and participant observation, documentary analysis, and interviews conducted to peasant organizations’ leaders, technicians and policymakers. In Brazil, the research focused on the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (The Landless Movement); while in Chile, due to the absence of such a national social movement, it considered a wider set of actors, including the Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo Agropecuario (National Institute for Agricultural Development). The results show how social movements are navigating between the mainstreaming pressures of the conventional markets, dominated by the leading agri-food corporations, and the political efforts they have been doing to build civic food markets as alternatives to conventionalization patterns. Finally, we argue that social scientists should better explain the tensions and compromises the social movements go through in order to coordinate different and complementary marketing strategies.

scholarly journals A Threat of Farmers’ Suicide and the Opportunity in Organic Farming for Sustainable Agricultural Development in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthikeyan Mariappan ◽  
Deyi Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Conventional Farming ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Input Cost

Agriculture is the main sources of income for humans. Likewise, agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. In India, Tamil Nadu regional state has a wide range of possibilities to produce all varieties of organic products due to its diverse agro-climatic condition. This research aimed to identify the economics and efficiency of organic farming, and the possibilities to reduce farmers’ suicides in the Tamil Nadu region through the organic agriculture concept. The emphasis was on farmers, producers, researchers, and marketers entering the sustainable economy through organic farming by reducing input cost and high profit in cultivation. A survey was conducted to gather data. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been used to test the hypothesis regards the cost and profit of rice production. The results showed that there was a significant difference in profitability between organic and conventional farming methods. It is very transparent that organic farming is the leading concept of sustainable agricultural development with better organic manures that can improve soil fertility, better yield, less input cost and better return than conventional farming. The study suggests that by reducing the cost of cultivation and get a marginal return through organic farming method to poor and small scale farmers will reduce socio-economic problems such as farmers’ suicides in the future of Indian agriculture.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Farm Performance among Small-Scale Farmers in the Volcanic Highlands of Rwanda: What is the Role of Institutions?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-268
Author(s):  
Aristide Maniriho ◽  
Edouard Musabanganji ◽  
Philippe Lebailly
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Land Size ◽  
On Farm

This study attempted to examine the role of institutions in boosting rural and agricultural development in the region of the Volcanic Highlands of Rwanda. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from a random sample of 401 small-scale farmers through a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a weighted least-squares method to account for heteroscedasticity, a common issue in cross-sectional studies. Results from crop output function reveal a positive and significant effect of cooperative membership, a negative but significant effect of extension services, and a negative non-significant effect of land tenure, credit access, and market access on farm production, respectively. In terms of net farm income function, the results demonstrate that farmer cooperation, land tenure, extension services, and access to output markets have a positive, non-significant influence, but that access to finance has a negative non-significant effect. Results also point to a positive and significant effect of some household characteristics, namely family size, farming experience, land size, and farm yield, on farm production. As for net farm income, education of the head, family size, farm experience, land size, farm yield, selling price, and cattle proved to be among primary determinants. It was therefore suggested that agricultural sector programs and activities should be readapted and strengthened in order to leverage rural and agricultural development in Rwanda.

scholarly journals Successful small-scale irrigation or environmental destruction? The political ecology of competing claims on water in the Uluguru Mountains,Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Harrison ◽  
Anna Mdee
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
External Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Political ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Uluguru Mountains ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Nearby City

Abstract In the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania, an expansion in informal hosepipe irrigation by small-scale farmers has enabled the development of horticulture, and resulted in improvements in farmers' livelihoods. This has largely taken place independently of external support, and can be seen as an example of the 'private' irrigation that is increasingly viewed as important for sub-Saharan Africa. However, these activities are seen by representatives of government and some donors as the cause of environmental degradation and water shortages downstream, especially in the nearby city of Morogoro. As a result, there have been attempts to evict the farmers from the mountain. Negative narratives persist and the farmers on the mountainside are portrayed as a problem to be 'solved.' This article explores these tensions, contributing to debates about the formalization of water management arrangements and the place of the state in regulating and adjudicating rights to access water. We argue that a focus on legality and formalization serves to obscure the political nature of competing claims on resources that the case illustrates. Keywords: irrigation; Tanzania; ethnography; political ecology; water

Everyday Routines in Free Spaces: Explaining the Persistence of The Zapatistas in Los Angeles

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pepper Glass
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Participatory Democracy ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Community Centers ◽  
Repetitive Tasks ◽  
Political Talk ◽  
Free Spaces

While examining the radical potential of "free spaces"—small-scale, grassroots sites for social movements—researchers neglect the daily activities underlying their continued existence. Based on participant observation at Zapatista community centers in Los Angeles, this article argues that everyday routines are important for the persistence of free spaces. Participants spent the majority of their time involved in routines. These were repetitive tasks for maintaining the organization; their focus was practical and immediate, as opposed to theoretical; and the rituals of participatory democracy structured them. At rare times, members reflected on their work, initiating abstract political talk to inspire and unify themselves in response to tedium from mundane activity or a crisis. Yet, reflection also distracted from applied work and even proliferated organizational schism. This suggests that free spaces retain stability by balancing both routine and reflection.

scholarly journals Short-term versus long-term decision trade-offs: Evidence from a model-based observational experiment with African small-scale farmers

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-228
Author(s):  
Birgit Kopainsky ◽  
Andreas Gerber ◽  
David Lara-Arango ◽  
Progress H. Nyanga
Keyword(s):  
Small Scale ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

scholarly journals New ruralities in the context of global economic and environmental change – are small-scale farmers bound to disappear?

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Rauch
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Food Markets ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Institutional Dynamics ◽  
Systems Perspective ◽  
Livelihood Systems ◽  
Local Livelihood ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Abstract. While development practicians tend to celebrate the renaissance of rural development, critical scholars are concerned about the increasing commoditisation of rural resources in the global South coinciding with the end of the peasant mode of production. The new debate on the future of rurality is associated with trends such as price hikes for rural products, climate change, food crisis, institutional change and multi-local livelihood systems. Usually, these trends are analysed from different perspectives. While many geographers look at it from a livelihood systems perspective, political economists focus on global food markets, whereas climate change research considers rural dynamics predominantly as a response to climate. This article argues that the new rural dynamics can only be understood by taking a holistic multi-dimensional approach which puts those different perspectives into context, rather than arguing which is more relevant. Based on a multi-dimensional analytical framework, the article investigates economic, environmental, social and political-institutional dynamics behind the actual trends.

scholarly journals Small-Scale Farmers Associations’ adaptive capacity to climate change in Swaziland sugarcane industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bon’sile F.N. Mhlanga-Ndlovu ◽  
Godwell Nhamo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Sugar Industry ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods Framework ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

This study investigated the existing adaptive capacity for climate change impacts by Small-Scale Famers Associations (SSFAs) in Swaziland’s sugar industry. The analysis of adaptive capacity considered how the livelihood assets (natural, physical, financial, human and social) as discussed in the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) help promote SSFAs’ adaptive capacity to climate change. The study took place in the Lowveld. Data were generated through a questionnaire from 45 SSFAs supervisors representing more than 2700 farmers. In addition, face-to-face interviews were undertaken with key informants, namely, Swaziland Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise, Swaziland Sugar Association, Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, and the United Nations Development Programme. The results indicate that the farmers have less adaptive capacity, and this affects the implementation of adaptation measures. The priority action towards increased adaptation includes interventions on credit, utility costs and taxes, land resources ownership and management, as well as information dissemination, especially early warning.

scholarly journals The Politics of Agricultural Development in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI)

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 5874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost Jongerden ◽  
Wouter Wolters ◽  
Youri Dijkxhoorn ◽  
Faik Gür ◽  
Murat Öztürk
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Food System ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Subsistence Production ◽  
Risk Approach ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

From being a smallholder-based, food-producing country covering its basic needs, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) have become major importers of food. The sustainability of the agricultural sector has been systematically undermined by conflict, neglect, and mismanagement, as a result of which the capacity of its farmers to feed the population declined. Even though local policymakers, the international community, and the international organisations emphasise the potential of agriculture for food production, job creation, and income generation, they also tend to consider the current food system problematic because of an alleged low productivity that they relate to the existing smallholder system. For them, such system poses a lack of competences and skills of farmers, and a subsistence production orientation. This approach culminated in a policy-making process that offered land and water for capital investments, and thus neglecting the potentials and competencies of (small-scale) farmers. The concomitant neglect of the human dimension of agriculture, namely the family farm, is essentially the continuation of an economically and ecologically high-risk approach that may lead to a further decline of the sector’s ability to produce food for the local market.

scholarly journals The political ecology of 'ethnic' agricultural biodiversity maintenance in Atlantic Nicaragua

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Political Economic

Correlations between farmer ethnic identity and the agrobiodiversity they maintain have been identified globally. This has been maintained even as small-scale farmers are increasingly connected to extra-local political economic systems, which are cited as the driver of global agrobiodiversity erosion. Yet, how ethnicity influences the maintenance of biodiverse farming systems is poorly understood. Employing a political ecology framework that integrated qualitative, demographic, and agroecological methods in Caribbean Nicaragua's Pearl Lagoon Basin, this research revealed patterns indicating that farmers who identify with the area's indigenous (Miskito) and afro-descendant (Creole and Garífuna) 'minority' groups tend to maintain more diverse farms than nearby farmers who identify as mestizo, particularly those who are recent migrants to the region. In contrast to previous studies, however, the most connected farmers in the Basin tend to have the highest levels of agrobiodiversity within their farming systems. Qualitative and regression analyses reveal that ethnic patterns in the maintenance of agrobiodiversity are explained in part by the historical farming practices that characterize land use in the Basin and the agroecological knowledge that farmers develop over a lifetime farming in this socio-ecological context. Further, by acknowledging the plastic nature of ethnic identity, this research highlights the importance of ethnic-based land rights in the Nicaragua's South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region as a critical factor that directly and indirectly influences the ethnic identities of farmers in the Pearl Lagoon Basin and their abilities to participate in agricultural development projects whose extension activities promote agrobiodiversity conservation.Key Words: Agrobiodiversity, ethnicity, land use and land use change, development, Nicaragua, Pearl Lagoon Basin

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