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Agrarian transition and smallholder success through local networks: A case study from Mindanao
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Abstract:
On the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, scholars have documented a precarious land
tenure, livelihood and security situation for many smallholders. Agrarian political economy
studies provide insightful analysis of the underlying causes of much poverty and violence on the
island. Less attention has been given to cases of smallholder success. This article proposes that
conditions for smallholder farming, even among ethnic minority groups, are more varied across
the island than the literature suggests. In upland villages of north-central Mindanao, there are
signs of dynamic smallholder economies. The main case study is from a thriving mixed swidden
and fixed field Maranao-Muslim farming village. Almost all the households in the village had
successfully claimed land as their own and diversified and improved their livelihoods in recent
times. To explain this positive outcome of agrarian transition, the article builds on a relational
approach developed to assess the bargaining power of smallholders in land deals. To elaborate
on the kinds of relationships smallholders use to access land and improve livelihoods, the article
draws on anthropological literature on kinship, land tenure and place. A stronger cross
fertilization of key insights in agrarian political economy and anthropological literature on
kinship helps develop the debate on agrarian transition in the southern Philippines.
Description:
Date:
2018
Authors:
Magne Knudsen
Publisher:
Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam
