Peasant balances, neoliberalism, and the stunted growth of non- traditional agro-exports in Haiti

Abstract

This paper examines divergent peasant responses to models of export-oriented mango production that have been promoted in post-earthquake Haiti. While critical agrarian studies tends to focus more on the ways that capital shapes conditions facing peasant producers, there has been much less attention to the ways that peasant decision-making can restrict how capital operates. This paper argues that Haitian peasants strive to pursue their livelihoods in ways that are at odds with the ambitions of the country’s political and economic elites, and highlights some of the ways that peasants are pushing back against exploitative arrangements to maintain a degree of autonomy over their cropping systems. The field research that forms the empirical basis of this paper was conducted between November 2010 and July 2013 and included: qualitative interviews with leaders of peasant and other rural community organizations, Haitian government officials, and representatives of multilateral institutions; focus groups with peasant farmers; and participant observation.