Is De-agrarianization Inevitable? Subsistence, Food Security and Market Production in the Uplands of Negros Occidental, the Philippines

Abstract

Market liberalization and agrarian reform have done little to reverse poverty in the uplands of Negros Occidental. The mean income of households participating in this research (n=347) was only marginally above the rural poverty line and virtually all relied on seasonal work and remittances from family members living elsewhere for household (and in many cases farm) reproduction. Combined with demographic pressure and competition for land, rural households face considerable pressure to reduce their livelihood dependence on agriculture. relations, exchange relations and social relations on which agriculture is based. Self-provisioning of farm inputs, access to markets organized according to alternative conventions, and formal education were all shown to be associated in food self-provisioning. Introduction Market-led development strat Show more