Productive forces and the contradictions of capitalist agriculture : agroecology as a sustainable alternative in Sub-Saharan Africa
(2024) In Discover Sustainability 5(1).- Abstract
This paper critiques the assumption that capitalist agriculture inherently develops productive forces, highlighting its internal contradictions and questioning its sustainability as a viable agricultural model. Using immanent critique, the paper engages with the capitalist framework on its own terms to demonstrate how its focus on profit maximisation and short-term productivity leads to long-term ecological degradation, social inequities, and the erosion of essential agroecological knowledge. The focus is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region with immense agricultural potential, regarded as the last frontier of capitalist agricultural development and heavily affected by the ecological crises. The paper argues that agroecology offers a... (More)
This paper critiques the assumption that capitalist agriculture inherently develops productive forces, highlighting its internal contradictions and questioning its sustainability as a viable agricultural model. Using immanent critique, the paper engages with the capitalist framework on its own terms to demonstrate how its focus on profit maximisation and short-term productivity leads to long-term ecological degradation, social inequities, and the erosion of essential agroecological knowledge. The focus is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region with immense agricultural potential, regarded as the last frontier of capitalist agricultural development and heavily affected by the ecological crises. The paper argues that agroecology offers a sustainable alternative that prioritises social justice, environmental sustainability, and the empowerment of smallholder farmers. Integrating traditional agroecological knowledge with scientific innovation, agroecology challenges the dominant capitalist model, proposing a more just and resilient agricultural system for SSA. It concludes by emphasising the critical role of social movements in driving the transition to agroecology in the region.
(Less)
- author
- Ekumah, Bernard LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Agriculture development, Capability approach, Food security, Immanent critique, Social movements
- in
- Discover Sustainability
- volume
- 5
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 446
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85211111402
- ISSN
- 2662-9984
- DOI
- 10.1007/s43621-024-00684-7
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a07bab3d-8830-485d-8121-f0bcde5e03e1
- date added to LUP
- 2025-01-21 14:51:58
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:40:11
@article{a07bab3d-8830-485d-8121-f0bcde5e03e1,
abstract = {{<p>This paper critiques the assumption that capitalist agriculture inherently develops productive forces, highlighting its internal contradictions and questioning its sustainability as a viable agricultural model. Using immanent critique, the paper engages with the capitalist framework on its own terms to demonstrate how its focus on profit maximisation and short-term productivity leads to long-term ecological degradation, social inequities, and the erosion of essential agroecological knowledge. The focus is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region with immense agricultural potential, regarded as the last frontier of capitalist agricultural development and heavily affected by the ecological crises. The paper argues that agroecology offers a sustainable alternative that prioritises social justice, environmental sustainability, and the empowerment of smallholder farmers. Integrating traditional agroecological knowledge with scientific innovation, agroecology challenges the dominant capitalist model, proposing a more just and resilient agricultural system for SSA. It concludes by emphasising the critical role of social movements in driving the transition to agroecology in the region.</p>}},
author = {{Ekumah, Bernard}},
issn = {{2662-9984}},
keywords = {{Agriculture development; Capability approach; Food security; Immanent critique; Social movements}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Discover Sustainability}},
title = {{Productive forces and the contradictions of capitalist agriculture : agroecology as a sustainable alternative in Sub-Saharan Africa}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00684-7}},
doi = {{10.1007/s43621-024-00684-7}},
volume = {{5}},
year = {{2024}},
}