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The food regime in the land grab
Philip McMichael (Cornell University, USA)
Prepared for Sussex Land Grab conference.
April 2011
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Food regime change
Transitional expressions in land grab
Contradictions of corporate/surplus foodregime anticipate new FR in making
Institutional structures, rules & normsunder construction
Organizing principle tensions: elite-sponsored agro-industrialization vs agro-ecology (repeasantization + s/movements)
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Revaluing land & peasant ways
In 2004, Va Campesina: agribusinesspower in pre/post-production, not in land.
Developmentalist blind-spot: peasant-likeways of farming often exist as practiceswithout theoretical representation Hence
they cannot be properly understood,
(concluding) that they do not exist or thatthey are (an) irrelevant anomaly (Ploeg)
self-fulfilling prophecy of unproductivity
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Global ecology perspective
Rational planning of planet for Northern
security (Sachs 1993).
Local commons renamed global commons
N security now represented as global food,energy & ecological security ~ peak oil/CC
grab for green fuel and food supply WB view: productivity & farmlandexpansion in non-forested areas
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Political economy perspective
Rationing what is left of nature (Sachs).
Relocating industrial/high-input agriculture
Capitals profitability crisis investment inagriculture as partial solution.
Agr crops absorbed into financial chains:
mix of crops (food/fuel/biomass) irrelevantto financial profit calculus.
Food riots + override of free trade
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Export restrictions & food riots
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Post-fossil-fuel biomass project
Leading edge of new bioeconomy = landenclosure to transform plant matter intoindustrial commodities.
Land best suited for biomass generation(LA, SSA) is least utilized (US Sec of En)
low intensive agr management systems
to be replaced by 2050 by best practiceagr.. (European Report, 2004)
yield gap (WB) = productivity fetish vs
multifunctional understanding of farming.
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LG as vehicle of FR transition?
Corporate (cheap) FR: subsidized Ndumping of surplus bulk cys in S mkts.
N farm sectors losing global competitive
advantage + new mercantilism: X bans&/or subsidies for agr/biomass offshoring.
New investment patterns favor bulk cys
eg, SEA: 83% land acquired for L-Termdedicated to row crops (Borras/Franco).
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CFR: invisible hand at work
the massive movement of food around the
world is forcing the increased movement of
people (Via Campesina 2000)
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Food regime transition
Rephrase? Massive movement of capitalaround the world is intensifying themovement of people
Whereas food dumping (CFR) = crisis oflow prices & depletion of peasantry, landgrabbing = crisis of social reproduction.
From surplus, to deficit, food regime.
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Food lines
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Food riots
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Transition..
Shift in foundations of capital accumulationtowards a new extractive food/fuel regimeenclosing worlds remaining land & water.
Agro-industrialization, where natural limitsforce, perversely, final solution for Nature.
Peak oil price inflation of agriculturalcommodities (speculative) investmentin land.
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Crude/Palm Oil synchrony 2000-09
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2000M
1
2000M
5
2000M
9
2001M
1
2001M
5
2001M
9
2002M
1
2002M
5
2002M
9
2003M
1
2003M
5
2003M
9
2004M
1
2004M
5
2004M
9
2005M
1
2005M
5
2005M
9
2006M
1
2006M
5
2006M
9
2007M
1
2007M
5
2007M
9
2008M
1
2008M
5
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Crude Oil
Palm Oil
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Deforestation in Sumatra for pulp and palm[Greenpeace, The Guardian8-20-10]
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Land grab drivers
Energy crisis, mandates/subsidies risingprice of N land, Kyoto protocols,accommodating host govts in South.
Financialization: converts agrl contracts tospeculative derivatives food priceinflation, & speculations in land, food/fuels.
2003-08: cy index holdings$131-$317m
2004-07: venture cap in biofuels 800%
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Crisis of agro-industrialization
Declining profitability of indl agriculture.
Declining biophysical productivity (nitrogenuse efficiency 60-20%, 1950s-90s).
Loss of biodiversity & ecosystem services
Rising cost of biophysical override (Weis)
Rising energy costs & climate change risk. Recognition in IAASTD Report (2008).
offshoring of agro-capital
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Land grab enablers
Domestic construction of land rents + newmercantilist approach to food security.
Enabled by W/Bank: rhetoric of yield gap
& agriculture for development
IFIs: modernize agriculture w value chains
AGRA: GR as export agr (agribusinessmkts) & land mobility (Gates Foundation)
Publicly-enabled global enclosure of natres. (cf subsidized cheap food regime).
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In sum: food regime shift..
Agro-industrialization relocating =enclosure of nat/res W for global mkt.
Shift in geo-political co-cordinates, eg,
NS/EE, SS, Oil states S LG deepens Corp/FR: agr w/out farmers
LG signals turning point: geo-pol patterns
& bioeconomy: capital centers on biomass(final subordn landed property & ecology).
Opposing (self) organizing principle:
repeasantization/agroecology