Abstract
Worldwide, industrial tree plantations are at the origin of a growing number of conflicts between local populations and commercial planters. Such conflicts - which often turn out to be 'environmental'- have largely remained understudied. By focusing on the establishment of an industrial eucalypt monoculture in a coastal Ecuadorian canton, this paper investigates the effects of the penetration of capital into the rural sphere, emphasizing the resulting resistance campaign of a local NGO originating from a peasant organization. We analyse the evolution of land conflicts in the region - historically as well as operationally during the latest eucalypt campaign. We find that displacement of local peasants is a recurrent theme, while environmental issues have recently been incorporated into the resistance to landowners. We thus argue that the agrarian question also includes - now perhaps more than ever - an environmental dimension, thereby providing space for a fruitful dialogue between political ecologists and students of agrarian conflicts. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 455-481 |
Journal | Journal of Agrarian Change |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2010 |
Keywords
- Agrarian question
- Environmental conflict
- NGOs
- Political ecology
- Tree plantations