“Some Things Never Change, We’re Always Second in Line”: Gendered Experiences of Progress and the Agricultural Crisis in Almeria, Spain*

Abstract

This article addresses sex-gender relations within the context of changing class relations shaped by the historical formation of an intensive system of agricultural production in Almeria (Spain). The analysis of work, both on the farm and within the domestic unit, guides the research, which relates socio-historical conditions and the subjective experiences and identities of men and women farmers. We begin from the theoretical premise that the change from being employed as wage laborers to becoming farm owners was a family project in which women and sex-gender relations played an essential, though hidden, role. We use a qualitative methodology and an historical perspective focused on the different phases of the Almerian agricultural model: the origin and consolidation of the sector (1960-1970), a boom period (the decade of the 1980s) and the strangulation of the model (from the decade of the 2000s until today). The article discusses and concludes that despite the centrality of the participation of women farmers and the change in class position, the subordinate place they occupy-in both the domestic sphere and on the farm-has continued throughout the different phases of the model. Thus, we find that "Some things never change, we're always second in line." *The content of this article forms part of the project (CS0211-2851) titled "Social sustainability of new agricultural production centers: Spain and Mexico (ENCLAVES)" financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (2012-2014) and coordinated by the University of Murcia under principal researcher Andrés Pedreño. Similarly, this article is framed within the postdoctoral contract of Alicia Reigada that forms part of the Research Plan V of the University of Seville. We thank the female and male farmers for dedicating their time and knowledge and for making this publication possible.

Energetic and Monetary Analysis of Efficiency in Family-Owned Dairy Goat Production Systems in Andalusia (Southern Spain)

“…Finally, we would like to highlight some of the limitations of this research that can constitute future lines of work: (1) the sample could be expanded to achieve statistical representativeness of the sector; (2) a systematic collection of data on a diverse sample of goat farms and over a period of several years, would provide a better understanding of the repercussions of crises and trends, on the energy and economic efficiency of the farms; (3) the system boundaries could also be expanded to include the remaining stages up to consumption (cradle to fork approach) [ 64 ]; (4) the energy impact of goat farming could be analyzed in a complementary way using other environmental categories related to, for example, water use, acidification, GHG emissions, etc. [ 46 ]; (5) the environmental functions associated with grazing could be monetarily valued to include them in cost-benefit analyses [ 65 ]; and (6) other socio-economic and cultural aspects (e.g., gender relations) could be included to assess the sustainability of livestock practices [ 66 , 67 ].…”

“…(3) the system boundaries could also be expanded to include the remaining stages up to consumption (cradle to fork approach) [64]; (4) the energy impact of goat farming could be analyzed in a complementary way using other environmental categories related to, for example, water use, acidification, GHG emissions, etc. [46]; (5) the environmental functions associated with grazing could be monetarily valued to include them in cost-benefit analyses [65]; and (6) other socio-economic and cultural aspects (e.g., gender relations) could be included to assess the sustainability of livestock practices [66,67].…”