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Agroecology as a vehicle for contributive justice

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Abstract

Agroecology has been criticized for being more labor-intensive than other more industrialized forms of agriculture. We challenge the assertion that labor input in agriculture has to be generally minimized and argue that besides quantity of work one should also consider the quality of work involved in farming. Early assessments on work quality condemned the deskilling of the rural workforce, whereas later criticisms have concentrated around issues related to fair trade and food sovereignty. We bring into the discussion the concept of contributive justice to welcome the added labor-intensity of agroecological farming. Contributive justice demands a work environment where people are stimulated to develop skills and learn to be productive. It also suggests a fairer distribution of meaningful work and tedious tasks. Building on the notion of contributive justice we explore which capabilities and types of social relationships are sustainably promoted and reinforced by agroecological farming practices. We argue that agroecological principles encourage a reconceptualization of farm work. Farmers are continuously stimulated to develop skills and acquire valuable experiential knowledge on local ecosystems and agricultural techniques. Further, generalized ecological studies recognize the significance of the farmer’s observations on natural resources management. This contributes to the development of a number of capabilities and leads to more bargaining power, facilitating self-determination. Hereby farm work is made more attractive to a younger generation, which is an essential factor for safeguarding the continuity of family farms.

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Notes

  1. Capabilities are the real opportunities people have to do and be what they have reasons to value (see Robeyns 2011).

  2. We use the term “work” in a very broad sense, mostly as a medium to secure one’s livelihood or that of others. A crucial characteristic is therefore commitment, instead of mere spontaneous devotion (as with individual hobbies).

  3. For example, seasonal farm workers without a valid work permit have little or no bargaining power (for the United States, see Oxfam America 2004).

  4. Andrew Sayer builds on the concept of contributive justice elaborated by Paul Gomberg (2007).

  5. As far as subsistence goes, it is important to note that only 12 % of the world’s unemployed receive any kind of unemployment benefits (International Labour Organization 2014).

  6. See, for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), article 22 (on dignity and development of personality), article 23 and 24 (on work), article 26 (on education), and article 27 (on participating in scientific and cultural life).

  7. Three strains within agroecology have been identified: the food systems approach, the agroecosystem approach, and the plot or field approach (see Wezel and Soldat 2009).

  8. For the link between income and food entitlement, see the seminal work of Sen (1981).

  9. Scarcity stimulates creativity in many other areas as well (see Gupta 2010).

  10. Richard Arneson (1987) builds on some of the characteristics of meaningful work identified by Adina Schwartz (1982). Because we concentrate on a knowledge-intensive type of work we have chosen to elaborate on the work of Arneson (1987). Other authors have dedicated special attention to the issue of autonomy and non-alienation (Roessler 2007, 2012), the effect on people’s self-identity (Herzog 2013), and how one’s work is perceived by others (Yeoman 2014).

  11. In some cases, the harvest of the agroecological farmer will be a luxury product, pressuring farmers to sell all their produce from some crop varieties and buy cheaper processed food. This will affect mostly farms located in the proximity of tourist areas and markets that pay highly for organic food. On a global scale this will not be a major factor, as much of the produce needs to be eaten immediately before it spoils and is not suitable for long trips to the markets. We should also note that the farm gate prices of many cash crops are extremely low (McIntyre et al. 2009). It will be often economically unreasonable for farmers to sell their produce and buy processed food.

  12. Here we are referring to the reasoning inspired by the writings of the German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel (1770–1831). Because of the vast amount of scholarship dedicated to this thinker, we do not claim that these five elements are essential to or representative of the broad Hegelian tradition.

  13. We acknowledge that selling a diversity of products is time-consuming and involves considerable work. Whether or not members of the farming community can undertake this task on their own depends largely on local circumstances.

  14. This is an often underestimated major achievement, as Andrew Sayer (2012, p. 583) notes: “The tendency to imagine that training skilled workers produces skilled jobs for them to fill is a common, though scarcely innocent, delusion in the discourse of the ‘knowledge-based economy’”.

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Acknowledgments

Cristian Timmermann benefited from a post-doctoral fellowship at the Jacques Loeb Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Georges Félix is funded by the European Union ERA-ARD-II Woody Amendments for Sudano-Sahelian Agroecosystems (WASSA) research project. We would like to thank the participants of seminars held October 2013 in Wageningen and June 2014 in Beer Sheva where earlier versions of this paper were presented, as well as Pablo Tittonell, Isabella Trifan, the journal’s editor, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback and critical remarks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Maestro Mario de la Cueva s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico, D. F., Mexico

    Cristian Timmermann

  2. Jacques Loeb Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Cristian Timmermann

  3. Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Georges F. Félix

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  1. Cristian Timmermann
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  2. Georges F. Félix
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Correspondence to Cristian Timmermann.

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Timmermann, C., Félix, G.F. Agroecology as a vehicle for contributive justice. Agric Hum Values 32, 523–538 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-014-9581-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-014-9581-8

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