Escaping capitalist market imperatives: commercial coca cultivation in the Colombian Amazon
| Main author: | Thomson, Frances |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Online access: |
Click here to view record |
| id |
eprints-39960 |
|---|---|
| recordtype |
eprints |
| institution |
SOAS, University of London |
| collection |
SOAS Research Online |
| language |
English |
| language_search |
English |
| description |
The illicit coca economy has become a bulwark for smallholder farming in Colombia. This article helps explain why. Analysis of the social relations surrounding coca production in one of the country’s most important coca-producing municipalities shows that capitalist market imperatives are weak within this economy. Pressures to increase productivity are muted by fluid access to land, non-interest-bearing debts, and the lack of price competition between producers. Coca-growers are ‘improving’ production, but they mostly respond to opportunities rather than imperatives. In the context of multiple agrarian crises, the coca economy allows even less well-off producers to survive. |
| format |
Journal Article |
| author |
Thomson, Frances |
| author_facet |
Thomson, Frances |
| authorStr |
Thomson, Frances |
| author_letter |
Thomson, Frances |
| title |
Escaping capitalist market imperatives: commercial coca cultivation in the Colombian Amazon |
| publisher |
Taylor and Francis |
| publishDate |
2024 |
| url |
https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/39960/
|