“There are More Vets than Doctors in Chiloé”: Social and Community Impact of the Globalization of Aquaculture in Chile

Abstract

This paper explores the complexities associated with globalization within the context of salmon farming in southern Chile, specifically whether the high levels of foreign investment and exponential growth in the industry have had a positive or negative impact on the people and communities of the archipelago of Chiloé. It is our argument that the responses to this issue require a subtle understanding of both the dynamics of community and the dialectics of modernity. We find substantial evidence that surplus labor, low wage levels, and poorly enforced or nonexistent health and safety standards are conditioning factors in the success of salmon farming in southern Chile. We conclude that a “sustainable community” approach is preferable to a “social sustainable” approach as the former focuses attention on the entire range of issues important to communities and the options open to them in confronting wider structures that affect their lives.