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Accepted Paper:
The influence of bonding and bridging social capital on the choices and outcomes of small-scale dairy farmers' participation in the food markets in Colombia
Kyumi Ahn
(Institute of Development Studies)
Paper short abstract:
The paper highlights the significance and mechanisms of social capital in sustaining farmers' livelihoods. It underlines how bonding social capital based on farmers' everyday relationships within villages elicits changes in farming practices and transforms information into localised knowledge.
Paper long abstract:
This paper investigates how small-scale farmers' social relations shape Colombia's market engagement and livelihoods. Agricultural food markets offer opportunities for farmers to improve their livelihoods. However, despite policy efforts aimed at successfully integrating small-scale farmers into food markets, many farmers face challenges in accessing these markets, and thus in accruing profits from agricultural commercialisation. It argues that different types of farmers' interpersonal interactions that generate bonding and bridging social capital can influence their choice of dairy market engagement and their livelihood outcomes, including total household income and the likelihood of being poor. This research contributes to understanding the role of farmers' social relations in improving livelihood activities and outcomes. It adopts a mixed-methods case study design and uses primary data acquired from a quantitative household survey and qualitative interviews with farmers and leaders of producer-led organisations. The paper examines how bonding and bridging social capital are linked to farm households' choice of dairy market engagement through various mechanisms. 'Bonding social capital', in triggering farmers' critical appraisal and adoption of innovative practices, supports the association with collective market engagement. 'Bridging social capital' was also found to predict farmers' engagement in collective commercialisation through prompting social learning based on exposure to extensive information and resources, despite its limitations in transforming farmers' practices and livelihood outcomes. These findings lead to policy recommendations of ways to assist farmers in enhancing market access and livelihood outcomes.
Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality. Log in
Accepted Paper:
Paper short abstract:
Paper long abstract:
This paper investigates how small-scale farmers' social relations shape Colombia's market engagement and livelihoods. Agricultural food markets offer opportunities for farmers to improve their livelihoods. However, despite policy efforts aimed at successfully integrating small-scale farmers into food markets, many farmers face challenges in accessing these markets, and thus in accruing profits from agricultural commercialisation. It argues that different types of farmers' interpersonal interactions that generate bonding and bridging social capital can influence their choice of dairy market engagement and their livelihood outcomes, including total household income and the likelihood of being poor. This research contributes to understanding the role of farmers' social relations in improving livelihood activities and outcomes. It adopts a mixed-methods case study design and uses primary data acquired from a quantitative household survey and qualitative interviews with farmers and leaders of producer-led organisations. The paper examines how bonding and bridging social capital are linked to farm households' choice of dairy market engagement through various mechanisms. 'Bonding social capital', in triggering farmers' critical appraisal and adoption of innovative practices, supports the association with collective market engagement. 'Bridging social capital' was also found to predict farmers' engagement in collective commercialisation through prompting social learning based on exposure to extensive information and resources, despite its limitations in transforming farmers' practices and livelihood outcomes. These findings lead to policy recommendations of ways to assist farmers in enhancing market access and livelihood outcomes.
Transforming the global countryside: Rural persistance and change in the ‘urban century’
Session 1 Wednesday 6 July, 2022, -