Green Agendas and White Markets: The Coloniality of Agroecology in Senegal

Franziska Marfurt (), Tobias Haller and Patrick Bottazzi
Additional contact information
Franziska Marfurt: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Tobias Haller: Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Patrick Bottazzi: Institute of Geography, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Development actors in West Africa have been promoting agroecological farming as a solution to combat climate change and to create more sovereign food systems that enhance the autonomy of local smallholders. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the actual implementation of such programs and their potential to empower smallholders, especially in the West African region. Drawing on co-produced knowledge from anthropological fieldwork in Western Senegal, the case study of an alternative food network explores the interlinkages between the promotion of agroecology, anti-migration policies, and unequal power and market relations. Informed by decolonial political ecologies, the analysis reveals different layers of coloniality which complicate embodied effects on horticultural smallholders. The authors conclude that instead of fostering the emancipation of smallholders, development actors promote a labor-intensive and unprofitable way of farming that exploits local resources for the sake of green agendas and white markets. This article highlights the need for a critical reflection on the potential limitations of agroecology and calls for a more nuanced approach that considers the complex realities of smallholders in West Africa.

Keywords: agroecology; decolonial political ecologies; alternative food network; migration; climate change; Senegal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1324/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1324/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:7:p:1324-:d:1184266

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().