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Trade – not Aid! On the Road towards Empowerment? A Minor Field Study of the Small-scale Farmers’ Empowerment of a WFP Local Food Procurement Initiative in Mozambique

Lundqvist, Charlotte LU (2010) STVK01 20101
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
This is a field study conducted in Mozambique of the empowerment of small-scale farmers within the initial process of commercialization. The WFP initiative named Purchase for Progress intend to purchasing crops locally directly from farmer organizations. The study’s aim is capturing the farmers’ perceived empowerment, defined as access to purposive choices, through a theoretical framework where opportunity structure and asset-based agency interactively determines empowerment. Opportunity structure is the structure of which actors operate, while assets are interrelated resources determining agency; one’s ability to act upon self-defined goals.
Based on material generated from focus group and semi-structured interviews, main findings point... (More)
This is a field study conducted in Mozambique of the empowerment of small-scale farmers within the initial process of commercialization. The WFP initiative named Purchase for Progress intend to purchasing crops locally directly from farmer organizations. The study’s aim is capturing the farmers’ perceived empowerment, defined as access to purposive choices, through a theoretical framework where opportunity structure and asset-based agency interactively determines empowerment. Opportunity structure is the structure of which actors operate, while assets are interrelated resources determining agency; one’s ability to act upon self-defined goals.
Based on material generated from focus group and semi-structured interviews, main findings point to poor access to warehousing, transport and inputs (credit, chemicals and training) resulting in lack of incentives for commercialization. Signs of assets as capacity to aspire, access to contracting, possibility of negotiations point to enabling agency and existence of choice to sales, also the use of this choice. However much remains on the road towards empowerment, achievement of choice, as farmers identify continued obstacles in price fluctuations, lack of support and need for assets such as credit, tools, techniques and training. One may produce and sell but to make commercialization transformative towards empowerment one needs support for assets to increase low productivity. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Lundqvist, Charlotte LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK01 20101
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
empowerment, Mozambique, small-scale farming, commercialization, WFP
language
English
id
1653042
date added to LUP
2010-09-13 09:42:07
date last changed
2010-10-05 13:16:26
@misc{1653042,
  abstract     = {{This is a field study conducted in Mozambique of the empowerment of small-scale farmers within the initial process of commercialization. The WFP initiative named Purchase for Progress intend to purchasing crops locally directly from farmer organizations. The study’s aim is capturing the farmers’ perceived empowerment, defined as access to purposive choices, through a theoretical framework where opportunity structure and asset-based agency interactively determines empowerment. Opportunity structure is the structure of which actors operate, while assets are interrelated resources determining agency; one’s ability to act upon self-defined goals. 
Based on material generated from focus group and semi-structured interviews, main findings point to poor access to warehousing, transport and inputs (credit, chemicals and training) resulting in lack of incentives for commercialization. Signs of assets as capacity to aspire, access to contracting, possibility of negotiations point to enabling agency and existence of choice to sales, also the use of this choice. However much remains on the road towards empowerment, achievement of choice, as farmers identify continued obstacles in price fluctuations, lack of support and need for assets such as credit, tools, techniques and training. One may produce and sell but to make commercialization transformative towards empowerment one needs support for assets to increase low productivity.}},
  author       = {{Lundqvist, Charlotte}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Trade – not Aid! On the Road towards Empowerment? A Minor Field Study of the Small-scale Farmers’ Empowerment of a WFP Local Food Procurement Initiative in Mozambique}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}