Abstract
Based on qualitative research of the intensive cultivation of strawberries in Andalusia, Spain, this chapter discusses some of the contradictions and dilemmas that affect the lives of small family farmers that supply global agrifood chains. By analysing the changing human experiences of these subjects in the context of transformations in work, production, and distribution practices, this chapter examines how the identity of these growers is grounded in their sense of pride at being self-made. The text explores the moral economy of these producers and the role that feelings of pride play in their sense of grievance, injustice, and vulnerability. The article maintains that the value of monetary exchange should be articulated in conjunction with the cultural and moral values that guide their economic practices.
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Notes
- 1.
This contribution has been developed within the framework of the Contrato Postdoctoral de Acceso del V Plan Propio de la Universidad de Sevilla and was developed during a postdoctoral research stay at FLASCO-Ecuador (2016).
- 2.
It is based on a qualitative research project (financed by the government of Andalusia) that employed in-depth interviews (83 in total) and participant observation. The researchers spent one year and nine months (2006–2007) living in the strawberry producing area of Southern Spain. Observation was carried out in two of the main strawberry production areas (Moguer and Palos de la Frontera) in the Province of Huelva. All informants’ names have been changed to protect their identity . The research was continued under the auspices of a second collective project : “Migration, global agrifood chains and rural development: A comparative analysis between Spain, Mexico , Argentina and Uruguay” (2011–2012), financed by Fundación Carolina.
- 3.
Speculation, linked to corruption, and the responsibilities assigned to the government authorities also constitute two central elements of the moral economy that influenced the protests related to the food crisis in 2007–2008 (Hossain and Kalita 2014). For an analysis of these protests and the grievances that they address in relation to the degradation of social reproduction implied by the neo-liberal food regime, see Patel and McMichael (2009).
- 4.
Furthermore, the authors have explored how, in response to local and family needs in a crisis hit Greece , a break with this logic has emerged in new agricultural initiatives that are based on trust, local networks and the quality of social relations (Spyridakis and Dima 2017).
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Reigada, A. (2018). Economic Rationality and Human Experience: Global Agrifood Chains from the Perspective of Social Anthropology. In: Spyridakis, M. (eds) Market Versus Society. Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74189-5_13
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