Philip McMichael_The Food Regime in the Land Grab

8/3/2019 Philip McMichael_The Food Regime in the Land Grab

1/19

The food regime in the land grab

Philip McMichael (Cornell University, USA)

Prepared for Sussex Land Grab conference.

April 2011


2/19

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)


3/19

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


4/19

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


5/19

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


6/19

Export restrictions & food riots


7/19

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.


8/19

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).


9/19

CFR: invisible hand at work

the massive movement of food around the

world is forcing the increased movement of

people (Via Campesina 2000)


10/19

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.


11/19

Food lines


12/19

Food riots


13/19

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.


14/19

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


15/19

Deforestation in Sumatra for pulp and palm[Greenpeace, The Guardian8-20-10]


16/19

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%


17/19

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


18/19

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).


19/19

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

Philip McMichael_The Food Regime in the Land Grab

Documents

Transcript of Philip McMichael_The Food Regime in the Land Grab