Paper short abstract:

Under what conditions will business provide a solution to difficulties in food access? This paper looks at the response to food price spikes by large-scale flower farms in Ethiopia.

Paper long abstract:

It is often assumed that higher food prices will benefit agricultural wage workers, because of a link between prices and wages. However, for employers in cash crop agricultural sectors, it is not clear that prices follow the price of food. Indeed, this relationship is far more complex. At the same time, large scale production demands large amounts of timely labour. In this case study of the Ethiopia flower sector, the reasons why some flower farms began to provide food to workers in the context of higher food prices is discussed. The explanatory factors are both domestic and international - and explain how and why large scale flower farmers take on greater responsibility for the reproduction of workers.