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Towards Understanding the Politics of Flex Crops and Commodities: Implications for Research and Policy Advocacy
This discussion paper offers a preliminary exploration of the concept and phenomenon of âflex crops and commoditiesâ, building on an earlier and initial analysis and abbreviated idea put forward by some of the authors of this paper.
We discuss the dual concepts of the âmultiple-nessâ and âflexible-nessâ of crops and commodities as two distinct but intertwined dimensions of some key crops and commodities.
These key crops and commodities are shaped by the changing global context that is itself (re)moulded in large part by the convergence of multiple crises and the various responses to those crises. Building on these dual concepts, we will identify and explain the minimum requirements for crop and commodity flexing.
We will also try to typologize the various types of crop and commodity flexing, namely, âreal flexingâ, âanticipated/speculated flexingâ, and âimagined flexingââto allow for a deeper examination of these interrelated processes.
The boundaries between these categories (multiple/flexible, real, anticipated and imagined) are not always clearly demarcated, requiring us to examine the issue of flex crops and commodities in a more interlinked manner.
We will focus our initial exploration on the political dynamics of such interactions and intersections, looking into the factors that encourage or discourage, facilitate or hinder maximization of the âmultiple-nessâ and/or âflexible-nessâ of particular crops and commodities.
Finally, and as a way of closing, we will outline the implications of these dynamics for how we think of engaged research, public actions and policy advocacy, including a brief discussion of what we call âflex policy narrativesâ by governments and corporations.
The politics of Myanmarâs agrarian transformation
Myanmar is in a dangerous and uncertain moment following the military coup on 1 February 2021. The articles in this Special Forum provide timely contextual analysis. Written before the coup, the articles delve into the politics of agrarian transformation in the context of (what was then) an ongoing (but fragile) opening up of political space. This introduction outlines three themes that connect the articles and now also shed some light on what the future may hold: (1) the limited character of the 2010â2021 âdemocratic transitionâ; (2) the struggles around land and natural resources amidst a social reproduction crisis and (3) the responses of rural working peoples
The rise of flex crops and commodities: implications for research
As a concept and phenomenon, âflex crops and commoditiesâ feature âmultiple-nessâ and âflexible-nessâ as two distinct but intertwined dimensions. These key crops and commodities are shaped by the changing global context that is itself remoulded by the convergence of multiple crises and various responses. The greater multiple-ness of crops and commodity uses has altered the patterns of their production, circulation and consumption, as novel dimensions of their political economy. These new patterns change the power relations between landholders, agricultural labourers, crop exporters, processors and traders; in particular, they intensify market competition among producers and incentivize changes in land-tenure arrangements. Crop and commodity flexing have three main types â namely, real flexing, anticipated/speculative flexing and imagined flexing; these have many intersections and interactions. Their political-economic dynamics involve numerous factors that variously incentivize, facilitate or hinder the âmultiple-nessâ and/or âflexible-nessâ of particular crops and commodities. These dynamics include âflex narrativesâ by corporate and state institutions to justify promotion of a flex agenda through support policies. In particular, a bioeconomy narrative envisages a future âvalue webâ developing more flexible value chains through more interdependent, interchangeable products and uses. A future research agenda should investigate questions about material bases, real-life changes, flex narratives and political mobilization
Rurally rooted crossâborder migrant workers from Myanmar, Covidâ19, and agrarian movements
This paper examines the situation of rurally rooted cross-border migrant workers from Myanmar during the Covid-19 pandemic. It looks at the circumstances of the migrants prior to the global health emergency, before exploring possibilities for a post-pandemic future for this stratum of the working people by raising critical questions addressed to agrarian movements. It does this by focusing on the nature and dynamics of the nexus of land and labour in the context of production and social reproduction, a view that in the context of rurally rooted cross-border migrant workers necessarily requires interrelated perspectives on labour, agrarian, and food justice struggles. This requires a rethinking of the role of land, not as a factor in either production or social reproduction, but as a central component in both spheres simultaneously. The question is not âwhetherâ it is necessary and desirable to forge multi-class coalitions and struggles against external capital, while not losing sight of the exploitative relations within rural communities and the household; rather, the question is âhowâ to achieve this. It will require a messy recursive process, going back and forth between theoretical exploration and practical politics