Struggles for autonomy<i>from</i>and<i>within</i>the market of southeast Mexico's small coffee producers

Henderson, Thomas Paul

doi:10.1080/03066150.2017.1382478

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Movements gathered under La Vía Campesina, for example, refer to autonomy as the capacity to define and implement a political agenda without external influence, to secure "a large enough space to effectively influence" events, and to counter external influence in the agrarian movements' internal decision-making (Borras, 2008, p. 268). 6 Indigenous movements that struggle for political autonomy claim legal autonomy and self-governance; that 5 A debate is emerging whether a repeasantization and autonomy perspective on markets should include peasants' active engagement with capitalist and global markets (Henderson, 2019;Manley & van Leynseele, 2019) and the desire of getting a "fair share" in basic food commodity markets (Ripoll, 2016) or focus on farmer agency in co-constructing alternative, nested, or direct markets (Schneider & Niederle, 2010; van der Ploeg & Schneider, this issue). 6 Another example of a social movement seeking autonomy we find in the history of the European squatter movement (Martínez L opez, 2013).…”

Section: Van Der Ploeg's Distinctive Definition Of Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self‐provisioning for van der Ploeg refers to the use of resources at the farm level, while others perceive self‐provisioning as subsistence production, which makes the farming household's survival less dependent on (unfavourable) markets. Farmers are more peasant‐like and more autonomous when their farms' production meets a considerable or increasing share of the household's food needs (for examples and reviews, see Babin, 2020; Henderson, 2019; Strube, 2019; Vergara‐Camus, 2014), that is, engendering higher degrees of local self‐sufficiency. Van der Ploeg's use of autonomy is different though.…”

Section: Autonomy In the New Peasantriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autonomy and repeasantization: Conceptual, analytical, and methodological problems

Jansen

Vicol

Nikol

2021

Journal of Agrarian Change

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“Autonomy,” as a desirable state, is a notion often used by food sovereignty‐oriented farmer movements and scholars studying repeasantization. The term is predominantly used rather casually, relying on presumed meanings, but van der Ploeg's book The New Peasantries seeks to elaborate a particular meaning of autonomy as a characteristic feature of the peasantry. The desire of farmers/peasants for autonomy is formulated in tandem with agroecological agriculture, farmers' agency, locally “nested” markets, co‐production with nature, non‐commoditized production, and multiple kinds of peasant resistance. This article identifies the distinctive nature of this take on autonomy and analyses its analytical, normative, and political aspects. It develops several critiques regarding the analytical shortcomings of the notion of peasant autonomy: the methodological problem of a peasant bias; the analytical limitations and incompatibility of intrinsic and “relative” autonomy; and the neglect of accumulation from below and subtle class contradictions. Rather than centring autonomy or relative autonomy, the authors argue for shifting the focus to the nature of different types of dependency relationships, ranging from very exploitative to those vital for human flourishing.

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Section: Van Der Ploeg's Distinctive Definition Of Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Autonomy In the New Peasantriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomy and repeasantization: Conceptual, analytical, and methodological problems

Jansen

Vicol

Nikol

2021

Journal of Agrarian Change

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“…Moreover, the notion often ignores the fact that peasant autonomy is driven by peasants' labour market participation (Bernstein, 2010). Struggles for access to land and self‐reliance are not about a fundamental ‘peasant logic’, but sought as a means of survival for masses of dispossessed and unemployed populations that cannot be absorbed into urban labour markets (Babin, 2020; Bernstein, 2010; Henderson, 2019; Li, 2011). Insofar as small commodity producers survive from the land while also selling their labour power, the persistence of this productive form also offers many benefits to capital.…”

Section: The Potentials and Limits Of Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

From survival to self‐governance: A comparison of two peasant autonomy struggles in Colombia's coffee and frontier regions

Sankey

2021

Journal of Agrarian Change

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This contribution explores processes of political class formation in peasant autonomy movements. The paper is based on a comparison of two peasant autonomy movements emerging from diverse agrarian structures and looks at how each movement emerged and developed. It argues that variations in class bases, cultural traditions and political histories shape the different ways autonomy is conceived and practised between peasant movements. The political expressions of autonomy struggles can be very diverse, ranging from poverty-driven survival strategies to politicized socio-territorial movements. The paper also highlights three main tensions in the question of autonomy for peasant movements: (1) struggles for autonomy do not involve a straightforward withdrawal from commodity markets, but also seek greater control over the terms of integration into markets; (2) states are still central focal points for the demands and tactics of autonomy struggles, and states still play an important role in allocating resources and co-opting peasant movements; and (3) the strategy of autonomy alone is insufficient for building counter-hegemonic movements.Leadership strategies are critical in shaping the political direction of autonomy movements. | INTRODUCTIONFor several decades, Colombia has been home to some of the most explosive and prolonged agrarian conflicts in the western hemisphere. The most notorious of these, the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia

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“…Farmers are able to navigate shocks and opportunities by relying more on self-provisioning when markets are adverse, Fig. 1 Conceptual framework articulating the hypothesis that mediated markets support farm diversification and household autonomy, which ultimately enhance food system resilience to global environmental change and by balancing self-provisioning with market-oriented production when crop prices are high (Henderson 2017). Access to markets in which farmers have more control over production and marketing decisions supports self-determination and stability (together comprising autonomy) at the householdlevel, and revitalization of the family farming sector more broadly (Schneider and Niederle 2010).…”

Section: Household Autonomy and Resilience To Global Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Structuring Markets for Resilient Farming Systems

Valencia

Wittman

Blesh

2019

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Diversified farms have received considerable attention for their potential to contribute to environmentally sustainable, resilient, and socially just food systems. In response, some governments are building new forms of public support for social-ecological services through the creation of mediated markets, such as targeted public food procurement programs. Here, we examine the relationship between farmer participation in Brazil's National School Feeding Program and farm diversification and household autonomy, as key indicators of farm household resilience. We hypothesized that two key features of the food procurement program-structured demand for diversified food products, and a price premium for certified organic and agroecological production-would increase farm-level agrobiodiversity and the use of agroecological practices. We designed a comparative study between family farmers who do, and do not, participate in Brazil's National School Feeding Program in the plateau region of Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil. We used semi-structured surveys to collect data on farm agrobiodiversity, management practices, and farm household autonomy, and we conducted land use history assessments. Here, we suggest for the first time that the National School Feeding Program played a role in driving the following: (1) transitions on family farms from low agrobiodiversity, input-intensive farming systems to diversified farming systems (i.e., horticultural production) and (2) a significant increase in the cropped area under diversified farming systems. This transition was supported by making horticultural production an economically viable alternative to field crops typically linked to volatile, unpredictable markets. The convergence of public policies supporting mediated markets, increased farm household autonomy, and farm diversification represents an integrated mechanism with the potential to enhance food system resilience.

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Struggles for autonomyfromandwithinthe market of southeast Mexico's small coffee producers

Cited by 15 publications

References 36 publications

Autonomy and repeasantization: Conceptual, analytical, and methodological problems

Autonomy and repeasantization: Conceptual, analytical, and methodological problems

From survival to self‐governance: A comparison of two peasant autonomy struggles in Colombia's coffee and frontier regions

Structuring Markets for Resilient Farming Systems

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