“Nobody wants to kill”

Abstract

Vanilla prices in Madagascar have reached historic highs. For the country's vanilla-producing smallholders, the influx of new wealth has resulted in profound affective changes-in large part owing to vanilla theft, which has become widespread. Anxiety and anger are rampant in vanilla-producing communities, and these feelings are increasingly channeled into deadly mob violence against accused thieves. Rather than random acts, these extrajudicial killings are structured by localized cultural, material, and affective forms, as people enact and embody commodity violence in intimate, often contradictory ways. Commodity violence emerges as an additional form of unwanted emotional and physical labor for smallholders. With the vanilla market, as with commodity markets more generally, it is those with the least to gain who are disproportionately exposed to violence and harm. [commodity booms, affect, structure of feeling, vigilante violence, smallholders, vanilla, Madagascar] Niakatra be ny vidin'ny lavaný ao Madagasikara tato hoato. Nisy fiantraikany goavana amin'ireo mpamokatra lavaný madinika ao antoerana anefa izany fiakarana harena vaovao izany-indrindra nohon'ny halatra lavaný izay nirongatra be ihany tato hoato. Manjaka loatra ny tahotra sy ny hatezerana eny anivon'ny fiaraha-monin'ny mpamokatra lavaný, hany ka lasa mampihatra fitsaràm-bahoaka amin'ireo voapanga sy voatonontonona ho mpangalatra ny olona. Tsy tongatonga hoazy anefa izany fitsaràm-bahoaka izany, fa zavatra volavolain'ny olona avy amin'ny kolotsaina sy ny dinam-pokonolona eo antoerana, ampiharina amin'ireo manao herisetra aterakin'ny fiakaran'ny vidim-bokatra, izay matetika mifanohitra amin'ny fomba tokony ho izy ihany. Lasa manampy trotraka ny fahasahiranan'ny mpamokatra madinika ny fisian'ny herisetra aterakin'ny fiakaran'ny vidim-bokatra, na ara-pihetseham-pó izany, na ara-batana. Ireo mpamokatra madinika no tena iharan'ny voina sy fahavoazana, na eo amin'ny sehatry ny tsenan'ny lavaný izany, na eo amin'ny sehatry ny tsenam-bokatra ankapobeny. [firoboroboam-bokatra, fiantraika, fifandroritan-kevitra, fitsaràm-bahoaka, mpamokatra madinika, lavaný, Madagasikara] Le cours de la vanille à Madagascar a atteint de nouveaux records. Pour les petits producteurs de vanille du pays, cette nouvelle richesse est venue avec de profonds changements affectifs en grande partie dus à l'explosion des vols de vanille. L'anxiété et la colère qui sévissent dans les communautés productrices de vanille se manifestent de plus en plus par le lynchage des individus mis en cause. Loin d'être aléatoires, ces exécutions extrajudiciaires sont l'expression de formes culturelles, matérielles et affectives localisées qui se manifestent par l'adoption et l'incarnation de la brutalité marchande de manières intimes et souvent contradictoires. Pour les petits producteurs, cette brutalité marchande apparaît comme une tâche émotionnelle et physique indésirable qui s'ajoute dans le cadre de leur travail. Sur le marché de la vanille, comme c'est le cas en général sur les marchés des produi...

Model of agricultural extension service system to accelerate technology adoption for vanilla smallholder

“…Issues from the internal side consist of seed problems, climate disturbances, disease attacks, fertilizers and water availability, and technology adoption. Meanwhile, problems at the external side are related to input prices, vanilla prices, access to capital, availability of labor, availability of technology, access to technology, and marketing [13,14,15]. Issues from the farm side are dominated by superior variety regarding availability, access to obtain, and seed certification.…”

Illicit activity and scarce natural resources in the supply chain: A literature review, framework, and research agenda

“…Illicit supply activities pursue rewards made possible as dwindling or scarce supply sources create upward pressure on natural resource values, providing temporary relief to the problem of scarcity with the illusion of availability. Examples of these illicit activities include directly extracting illegitimately (e.g., conflict minerals, Jameson et al, 2016); indirectly profiting through theft, bribery, counterfeit resources, or illicit acquisition by using child or slave labor; extracting greater volumes than permitted by quotas; poaching; or engaging in other corrupt practices (e.g., vanilla theft in Madagascar, Osterhoudt, 2020). As natural resources become scarcer, illicitly procuring and trading commodities have a greater propensity to flourish, often because the economics of scarcity attracts illicit actors (Paulraj et al, 2017).…”

Smallholder vanilla agroforestry in Madagascar: biodiversity, ecosystem services and yields in a land-use context

“…A price boom from 2012 to 2019 on the international vanilla market (Aust & Hachmann (Canada) Ltd, 2020; has resulted in the extension of vanilla farming in the region (Andriatsitohaina et al, 2020;Llopis et al, 2019), raising questions on the sustainability of the practice. The high prices have also benefitted smallholder farmers, who managed to increase their assets Osterhoudt, 2020;Zhu, 2018). On the downside, the high vanilla prices have led to a spark of vanilla theft (Neimark et al, 2019) and accompanying mob justice, killing hundreds of alleged thieves (Osterhoudt, 2020).…”

“…The high prices have also benefitted smallholder farmers, who managed to increase their assets Osterhoudt, 2020;Zhu, 2018). On the downside, the high vanilla prices have led to a spark of vanilla theft (Neimark et al, 2019) and accompanying mob justice, killing hundreds of alleged thieves (Osterhoudt, 2020). Beside pivotal importance as a cash crop, vanilla also serves as a source of pride to people in north-eastern Madagascar (Osterhoudt, 2014).…”