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Peasant agency in Ghana's oil palm sector: The impact of multiple markets on food sovereignty
Author(s) -
Manley Ruth,
Van Leynseele Yves
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of agrarian change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.63
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1471-0366
pISSN - 1471-0358
DOI - 10.1111/joac.12323
Subject(s) - peasant , food sovereignty , agency (philosophy) , commodity , sovereignty , economics , market economy , reproduction , witness , value (mathematics) , commodity market , business , food security , agriculture , politics , sociology , political science , geography , ecology , law , social science , archaeology , finance , machine learning , computer science , biology
This paper contributes to the debate on peasant differentiation and market integration in the food sovereignty literature by examining the smallholder‐oriented oil palm sector in Ghana's eastern region. Against the background of loosening entry barriers in global value chains, and through an analysis of farmers' different positions in palm oil's multiple markets, we witness peasant‐like patterning of production and strategic market participation among well‐situated non‐contract farmers. We propose that such interface settings where commodity relations are present, but do not penetrate fully offer valuable entry points for revisiting the role of global markets in peasant reproduction in the Global South. We consequently argue the need to replace the idealized category of “peasant” with an analytical category that can recognize social differentiation and reproduction through partial engagement with commodity markets.