Paper short abstract:

Using tobacco, cotton and sugar crops in Zimbabwe, this paper demonstrates how other various social groups who include wageworkers, women and unpaid household labor are also exploited by agribusiness leading to food insecurity and sub-human life standards.

Paper long abstract:

Promoted by the World Bank (WB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agribusiness firm expansion through contract farming has been touted as a mechanism of promoting development. However, critics argue that the asymmetric powers between the firms and the farmers in contractual relationship may lead to exploitation of the latter. Despite the bourgeoning of literature in recent years highlighting the massive exploitation of landholders/peasants by agribusiness operations, scholarship has failed to articulate the various layers of exploitation among social groups beyond what is already known- between capital and the peasantry. The exploitation of hired labor, women and other members of household who provide agricultural labor remains under examined in contract farming. These aspects are important to explore given the manner and forms through which agribusiness operates, that remain deeply invisible and disguised.

Another key issue on agribusiness expansion through contract farming in Africa is the question of food security. Lacking has been an attempt to study the impact of contract farming on food security. Utilising qualitative and quantitative data, this study examines labor conditions and food security situation of landowners, wage-workers, women and unpaid agricultural workers in agricultural production for commodities which include tobacco, cotton and sugarcane in Zimbabwe. The study demonstrates how other various social groups who include wage-workers, women and unpaid household labour are also exploited by agribusiness leading to food insecurity and sub-human life standards.