Reframing agrarian citizenship: Land, life and power in Brazil

Wittman, Hannah

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2008.07.002

Cited by 72 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The basic idea behind these oppositional and 'resistant' approaches, therefore, is that neoliberal approaches to production lead to injustices, to the uneven distribution of benefits and to the disempowerment of the farmer/food producer at the hands of monopolizing corporations and the structures of capitalist accumulation. And whilst concepts of sovereignty and citizenship have been advanced as principally collective social movements, they also emphasize the environmental benefits of alternative approaches that are based on collective autonomy and the common good, which do not encourage the by-products or negative externalities associated with neoliberal agricultural production ( McMichael, 2012 andWittman, 2009). …”

Section: Actual Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

Neoliberal natures on the farm: Farmer autonomy and cooperation in comparative perspective

Stock¹,

Forney²,

Emery³

et al. 2014

Journal of Rural Studies

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This is the peer reviewed version of the article which has been published in final form in the Journal fo Rural Studies at http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.jrurstud.2014.06.001 ©2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ HighlightsExplores the relationship between farmer autonomy and environmental outcomes.Compares agricultural cooperatives and cooperation in UK, New Zealand, Switzerland and Brazil.For autonomy to remain a tool to negotiate alternatives then we must continue to prevent the monopolization of its meaning.Actual autonomy can create dialogue to bridge concerns about farmers, livelihood, and environmental outcomes. AbstractThe struggle over autonomy in farming is emblematic of the philosophical and practical tensions inherent in solving multi-scalar environmental issues. We explore the multiplicities of autonomy through comparative case studies of agricultural cooperation in England, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Brazil, which allow consideration of the implications of a range of approaches to managing farmed environments under different variations of neoliberalism. The original data emerge from separate projects examining aspects of cooperative autonomy in relation to the effects of the neoliberalisation of nature in agriculture. The comparative examination of autonomy and cooperation across distinct agri-food contexts highlights diversity in the social, ecological and economic outcomes of alternative forms of agri-environmental governance. This analysis provides a sobering corrective to both the over-romanticization of cooperation across global peasant movements and the over-romanticization of the individual entrepreneur in agro-industrial and family farming sectors. Our examination highlights the need for greater attention to the relationships between actors at and across different scales (the farm level, organizations and communities, the state, and industry) to understand how, in contrasting contexts of neoliberalisation, alternative conceptions of autonomy serve to mediate particular interventions and their material environmental consequences. A focus on actual autonomy, via the peasant principle and territorial cooperatives, creates an opening in theoretical and political dialogue to bridge concerns about farmers, livelihoods, and environmental outcomes.

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Section: Actual Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

Neoliberal natures on the farm: Farmer autonomy and cooperation in comparative perspective

Stock¹,

Forney²,

Emery³

et al. 2014

Journal of Rural Studies

Self Cite

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“…We focus here on a short list of key characteristics (with an emphasis on mechanisms) that might usefully inform management of socio-ecological systems generally and agricultural production systems specifically. As well, many authors have examined the idea of resilience (related to systems thinking) in agricultural contexts (local cases as well as global concerns around food security and biodiversity) [13][14][15][16][17]. Similarly, Bennett et al suggest a focus on experimentation, novel solutions and innovation [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

5 Key Challenges and Solutions for Governing Complex Adaptive (Food) Systems

et al. 2017

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Abstract:There is increasing recognition in academic circles of the importance of adaptive governance for the sustainability of social-ecological systems, but little examination of specific implications for the 34% of land-use where human activities are pervasive but potentially commensurate with functioning ecosystems: agricultural production systems. In this paper, we argue for the need to view food systems and agro-ecosystems as multi-scalar complex adaptive systems and identify five key challenging characteristics of such systems: multi-causality; cumulative impacts; regime shifts; teleconnections and mismatch of scales. These characteristics are necessary features of multi-scalar adaptive systems, and apply equally to social and natural subsystems. We discuss the implications of these characteristics for agricultural production systems and consider how governance can rise to these challenges. We present five case studies that highlight these issues: pollinator declines; payments for ecosystem services; pest control and pesticide resistance; downstream aquatic systems in Tasman Bay, New Zealand; and riparian buffers in Puget Sound, USA. From these case studies we derive recommendations for managing agricultural systems, both specific and general. Ultimately, adaptive governance of agro-ecosystems will likely hinge upon three paradigm shifts: viewing farmers and ranchers not only as food producers but also as land and water managers; seeking not yield maximization but rather resilient management of food ecosystems; and critically, as it transcends the production-system literature, engaging broad audiences not only as consumers but also citizens.

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“…Postero's account also demonstrates that questions of collective verses private property, this time concerning natural resources such as water and gas, were equally instrumental in the ideological and legal battles surrounding indigenous peoples' mobilizations to transform the Bolivian citizenship regime around the turn of the present century (see also Spronk 2007). We can similarly see the way that issues of land and resource control, in articulation with struggles for indigenous and campesino identity and autonomy, are constitutive of particular forms of 'agrarian' (Wittman 2009a, Wittman 2009b, Wittman 2010 and 'indigenous' citizenship (Latta 2009a;Radcliffe, Laurie, and Andolina 2002).…”

Section: Land Identity and Citizenshipmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This orientation takes us beyond the scope of 'environmental citizenship' narrowly conceived in terms of citizenship practice that contributes to sustainability, and instead links the politics of nature to questions of democracy and justice (Latta 2009b, Latta 2007b, providing a new basis for understanding environmental movements and conflicts in the Global South (Latta 2007a, Wittman 2009a). This opens the door to a series of other important theoretical perspectives, methodological influences and empirical contexts for the present project.…”

Section: Approaching the Environment/citizenship Nexus In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers working with rural and indigenous peoples have probed relationships that link the politics of land, livelihood and identity, often in the context of struggles for politi-cal recognition and agency (see for example Latta 2007a, Nuijten and Lorenzo 2009, Postero 2007, Wittman 2009a, Yashar 2005. Others studying democratization and institutional reform in the environmental sector have looked to citizen participation processes as key facets in new modes of governance (Bachmann, Delgado, and Marín 2007;Menegat 2002;Palerm and Aceves 2004;Walker, Jones, Roberts, and Frohling 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Environment and Citizenship in Latin America: A New Paradigm for Theory and Practice

Latta

Wittman²

2010

ERLACS

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As a reflection of the ecological pressures associated with rapid modernization and globalization, the environment has become an enduring theme of public debate and protest in Latin America. Over the past decade, scholars have made increasing connections between such debate and a range of questions related to citizenship. Meanwhile, a discourse of 'environmental citizenship' has a growing prevalence in policy across the region. While these developments echo similar political and academic trends in the Global North, the Latin American context demands a unique set of theoretical and methodological approaches to studying the intersection of ecology and citizenship, sensitive to the specific historical, cultural, and ecological character of the region. We outline a research agenda spanning questions of land, identity and citizenship; environmental justice and de-colonization; social subjectivity and the state; urban natures and citizens; and the materiality/subjectivity of nature. This array of approaches points to a more acute conceptualization of citizenship, both in terms of its understanding of politics and its treatment of ecology; it also offers a point of view that recognizes citizens and natures as dynamic realities, which mutually condition each other in a sphere of ongoing contest.

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Reframing agrarian citizenship: Land, life and power in Brazil

Cited by 72 publications

References 21 publications

Neoliberal natures on the farm: Farmer autonomy and cooperation in comparative perspective

Neoliberal natures on the farm: Farmer autonomy and cooperation in comparative perspective

5 Key Challenges and Solutions for Governing Complex Adaptive (Food) Systems

Environment and Citizenship in Latin America: A New Paradigm for Theory and Practice

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