Contract Farming Case Study

Great Essays
Beyond Economic Growth: An Evaluation of Contract Farming from a Gender Perspective
Contract farming is a mode of agricultural production based on an agreement between buyers and producers that has become increasingly popular across countries, because it has been proven to be rather effective in promoting farmers’ productivity and in accurately orienting agricultural products to a target market. As a wealth of empirical studies have shown, contract farming schemes can indeed raise the income and thus general well-being of participating farmers. The study by Laura Raynolds, however, takes a different perspective when evaluating the case of small-scale contract farming in Dominican Republic: in addition to its role in facilitating economic growth,
…show more content…
The inputs are subject to redistribution before being invested into the agricultural activities. Using the traditional unitary household model, the redistribution of these resources is largely neglected, while from a gender perspective, it is significant to the success of the overall project. As remarked by Raynolds, according to the traditional gender role in rural areas of Dominican Republic, “Gender inequalities in farm households have been reinforced by agrarian policies which grant credit, land, and other resources to men who are seen as ‘heads of household’” (Raynolds 786). The control over economic capitals has an indisputable impact on the subsequent distribution of income and thus perpetuates the skewed power dynamics within households. In addition to those external resources, in some cases where men and women have separate land ownership, contract farming can even erode women’s access to their own land and result in permanent appropriation of women’s rights (Raynolds 788). It is thus evident that a gender-blind assessment on the inputs of contract farming lacks integral elements that result in unforeseen conflicts at later stages; it is the inequality from the very beginning that leads to the challenges throughout the agricultural …show more content…
When collecting information about average hours of labor that men and women devoted to the tasks, Raynolds contrasts the result acquired from personal interviews with 48 male tomato contract growers to women’s assessment of their own labor. According to women themselves, they worked in the field for twice as much time as their husbands and made a large contribution as important labor rather than acting as mere helpers as indicated by the labor use estimates recalled by their husbands. Furthermore, a large part of women’s work is cooking for all the workers, including a large number of hired workers. According to the contract, the cooking of the mid-day meal is paid for as part of the wage. Nevertheless, this intensive labor that is customarily delegated to women is often deemed irrelevant to actual tomato cultivation, and thus, despite its necessity and difficulty, often goes unnoticed like many other women’s contributions. Clearly, men have a tendency to underestimate women’s importance while women themselves also accept the gender norm to admit their secondary status in production, which is nevertheless counterfactual (Raynolds

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Trobriand Islands, located on the coast of Eastern New Guinea, is one of anthropology’s most “scared places”(Weiner 1). Malinowski and Weiner both did fieldwork research there that later became significant ethnographic work about the matrilineal society. Gender plays an important role in Trobriand Islands. Women and men have different duties in the economy and with children. Additionally, for the people of Trobriand Islands, food is not only something they eat, but something with great social importance.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With the technology of today and the rate at which it is increasing farming will become a mechanized industry. Our nation’s current farmers rely on subsidies to make ends meet, but also to keep their…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ruiz's Argument Analysis

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many Mexican women were hired by food-processing industries in Los Angles. Even 25% women had jobs in industries during the 1930s. The single girls living with their parents were working in the cannery and helping their parents by sharing their income. Even the historians Louise Tilly and Joan Scott also explain that in the 20th century, the Mexican families remained in the lower to middle class, where every family member contributes to the household by sharing their income and eating from the same pot. To support the family members the teenage daughters were also working in the labor market (Ruiz, 14).…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Insourcing and Government Agricultural Investment: Changing the future of the Dominican Republic By looking at: the economy as well as the current and the future of insourcing and agriculture in the country Cory D. Varona The Pennsylvania State University, Great Valley Campus, MBA Program Abstract The history of the economy in the Dominican Republic has shown the country as the primarily exporter of sugar, tobacco and coffee in the Caribbean. This all has changed after telecommunications, tourism and free trade zones have taken over agriculture; which was one’s the economy’s largest employer. According to the World Bank, the last two decades have been viable for the Dominican Republic, as it has been one of the…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Significant Role of Chicanas In the United Farm Workers Boycott- The United Farm workers were agricultures that moved to urban areas to fight for their equality. Men and Women had different roles in the organization (United Farm Workers), according to the essay. However, women had crucial roles in the organization that were overlooked.…

    • 99 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The agricultural food system in the United States is dynamic, not only because of the different practices, but also how men and women interact and are viewed within the system. Men and women have specific roles within the food system, which is mostly due to cultural practices. Learning and understanding how men and women are treated differently will give us a better insight on the agricultural system. With this knowledge, we can works towards equality and defy the classic gender roles within the agricultural system. The two articles Women and Food Chains: The Gendered Politics of Food, by Allen and Sachs, and Feeding the Hard Bodies: Food and Masculinities in Men’s Fitness Magazines, by Fabio Parasecoli, will help further our knowledge about gender roles and food.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The study of colonialism in Latin American history reveals the intricacies in which men and women were affected by a radical shift in their way of life. These changes affected all levels of gender, race, and class, although not equally. By incorporating gender studies into the historical analysis of the colonial era in Latin America, a larger picture emerges. Joan Scott provides insight into the study of gender by stating that a full analysis is understood by kinship relationship, political economy, symbols, normative claims, and subjective identity . Each of these elements in represented in primary and secondary documents regarding women in colonial Latin America.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Communities consist of active social forces that shape gender roles and determine the fluidity for renegotiation them. Migrant communities from Latin America faced the challenge of bringing with them the gender norms set by their home community and attempted to replicate them in the receiving countries. The receiving community unleashed its conventions on the arriving migrants and shaped the gender roles and determined the change most fitting to the new circumstances. The migration process for Latinos coming to the United States influenced the gender roles in migrant communities by allowing for the transplanting of traditional roles that manifested themselves in participation in community activism, responsibility of the home, and economic…

    • 1974 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Critique can be seen throughout numerous readings that were read and discussed this semester. Women have critiqued other women and they have critiqued men and the patriarchic society. These themes may especially be seen in “The Declaration of Sentiments”, “Halving the Double Day”, and a chapter from Women, Race and Class. “The Declaration of Sentiments” was written primarily by Elizabeth Stanton during the first major women’s convention in Seneca Falls. This convention was conducted to discuss the limited rights that belonged to women and to create the “Declaration of Sentiments”.…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Food Inc Research Paper

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Food Inc Human Biology “Faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper” Farming today has changed more in the last 20 years, than it ever has. In the 1930’s McDonald’s was first started fast food/ “drive in” and is today known as the largest purchaser of beef, pork, chicken, tomatoes, lettuce and apples. The reason fast food blew up is because of inexpensive food, cheap help, and replaceable employees. It’s no secret that fast food can feed a family of 4 for under $20, as where $20 will not get you far at the grocery store.…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The introduction and chapter three of "More Work for Mother" helped me better understand how many gender inequalities within social expectations and role of women arose through the creation of technology. Although the societal roles of women and men have shifted slightly in today's time, this reading still proved that women have always been unacknowledged for their abilities and influences on technological progression. In the introduction, Schwartz-Cowan stated that women's work had been differentiated from men's by being incompletely industrialized or by being industrialized in a somewhat different manner (7). I found this interesting because to me it meant that industrialization may have created new tools within the domestic setting, but…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1) Mr. Winters has not made much improvements concentrating on his assignments as evidenced by difficulty remaining focused on his tasks and he was easily distracted by his surroundings in the CRP. During two of five observations, Instructor Mowdy's noted Mr. Winters did not increase his production rate to an acceptable pace while completing contract work and doing material handling type of work. Feedback given from Instructor Mowdy during this work adjustment review period indicated that Mr. Winters is making minimum improvement and progress. 2)…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Women In Benin

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout history, all civilizations have had some form of discrimination, whether that is through slavery or through religious reasons. Many countries, such as the United States, do not discriminate against women in their agricultural sector, yet Benin is not one of these countries. Benin is a smaller, undeveloped country located in West Africa. This makes the country’s production of agricultural products much less diversified and focused on ridding itself of sexism. This article goes into an example of how women are worse off than men when they produce agricultural products.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The suggested solution is to re-access economic progress using a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) which includes house hold and volunteer work in its figures. Another way in which there may have been a difference between men and women in the labour force can be seen in the 1970’s “capitalism pulled more women into the paid workforce… support[ing] women demands for more equality” (Kaufman, 33) The truth is with capitalism the oppression of labourers can be seen as multi-layered, there is the displacement that creates the labour force, then are different realities for males and females. To overcome the wide gaps imposed on the groups, there is the suggestion of land reforms, will this resolve the…

    • 1315 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scholars have by and large discussed three core concepts, which include; the traditional breadwinner role in Punjab; changes in this role in Punjabi in contemporary society; and changes in the breadwinner role in Punjabi families who have migrated to Western countries. In the first case, research suggests that prior to World War I, most Punjabis lived in peasant villages where farming was the major economic activity (Gill & Matthews, 1995). During this time, men were responsible for agricultural production or running businesses, and women played a vital role in the home by making food, and bearing children. In essence, women were considered weaker and dependent on their male counterparts. However, this is somewhat contradicting because women play a direct role in farming operations, but yet men were generally defined as the breadwinners.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays