Table Of Content

‘This book fills a longstanding gap in rural studies. Nobody in the sociolog- ical tradition could do it better than Jan Douwe. The multiple levels, the distinct shapes and the different dimensions of agriculture are carefully can- vassed by someone who knows the subject from personal history and as a research topic. It’s a seminal book that honors the good tradition of great rural sociologists from the past, and must be read by all agrarian, rural and food scholars of the future.’ Sergio Schneider, Full Professor of Sociology of Rural Development and Food Studies, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil ‘This book brings together knowledge acquired through a long and produc- tive career of deep/analytical thinking and research delving into the com- plexities of agriculture, nature, and those engaged in food production. If you want to learn more about the significance of the farm labour process and how radical transformations of food systems are already underway in various parts of the world, read this book!’ Annette Aurélie Desmarais, Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty, University of Manitoba ‘The Sociology of Farming is an original, grounded, systematic and brilliant textbook that goes far beyond the boundaries set by its title to encompass global social life. It must be read by all students concerned about the future of humanity and our planet.’ Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Professor of Agrarian Studies, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Netherlands The Sociology of Farming This book provides a detailed and comprehensive introduction to the concepts and methods of the sociology of farming. The sociology of farming focuses on co-production: the ongoing interaction and mutual transformation of the natural and the social (of ‘human and living nature’) which requires putting the farm labour process centre stage. While there are many books which discuss food and agriculture, this book is different: it delves into the methods and concepts used and presents a comprehensive conceptual framework and the associated methods for research to give students and research- ers of agriculture and rural studies a solid set of tools for unravelling the complex- ities of farming and rural life. Importantly, these tools also empower us to design new ways forward. A wide array of case studies, as wide-ranging as Brazil, Peru, China, the Netherlands, Italy and Guinea Bissau, help readers to grasp the com- monalities that underlie strongly diversified and divided rural worlds. The book lists over two hundred basic concepts and includes boxes that discuss the main methods of the sociology of farming. This textbook is essential reading for students and scholars of food and agriculture, agrarian studies, rural development, food and farming systems, peasant studies and environmental sociology. Jan Douwe van der Ploeg is Emeritus Professor at Wageningen University, the Netherlands and an Adjunct Professor in the College of Humanities and Development Studies at the China Agricultural University in Beijing. He is the author of The New Peasantries: Rural Development in Times of Globalization (Routledge, 2018). Earthscan Food and Agriculture The Agricultural Dilemma How Not to Feed the World Glenn Davis Stone Farming with the Environment Thirty Years of Allerton Project Research Chris Stoate Net Zero, Food and Farming Climate Change and the UK Agri-Food System Neil Ward Conservation Agriculture in India A Paradigm Shift for Sustainable Production Edited by A.R. Sharma Agricultural Commercialization, Gender Equality and the Right to Food Insights from Ghana and Cambodia Edited by Joanna Bourke Martignoni, Christophe Gironde, Christophe Golay, Elisabeth Prügl and Dzodzi Tsikata The Sociology of Farming Concepts and Methods Jan Douwe van der Ploeg Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security Commercial, Ethical and Health Considerations Edited by Jasmeet Kour, Vishal Sharma and Imtiyaz Khanday For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/books/ series/ECEFA/ The Sociology of Farming Concepts and Methods Jan Douwe van der Ploeg Cover image: © Getty Images First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Jan Douwe van der Ploeg The right of Jan Douwe van der Ploeg to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Ploeg, Jan Douwe van der, 1950- author. Title: The sociology of farming : concepts and methods / Jan Douwe van der Ploeg. Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022014946 (print) | LCCN 2022014947 (ebook) | ISBN 9781032321905 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032321875 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003313274 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Agriculture--Social aspects. | Sociology. Classification: LCC S419 .P56 2023 (print) | LCC S419 (ebook) | DDC 630.9--dc23/eng/20220722 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022014946 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022014947 ISBN: 978-1-032-32190-5 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-32187-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-31327-4 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003313274 Typeset in Goudy by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. To the memory of Ruffo Cárcamo, Jaap Nieuwenhuize and Flaminia Ventura, who all fought for the rural poor. Contents Preface x 1 The specificity of farming 1 2 The farm labour process 39 3 Markets and technology: A space for manoeuvre 64 4 Styles of farming 91 5 Farm development trajectories and agricultural growth 117 6 Farming, society and capital 146 7 Rural development processes 177 8 Constructing new markets 208 9 Peasant resistances and struggles 234 10 Dealing with socio-material practices 269 Index 301