Paper short abstract:

By pursuing an Agrarian Political Economy approach, this paper discusses preliminary findings on the emergence of new 'classes' of indigenous rural agrarian capitalists ('emerging farmers') in the Limpopo Valley of Mozambique and their place in processes of agrarian change and rural transformation.

Paper long abstract:

Political Economy has been a central theoretical and analytical approach in the investigation over the nature and trajectories of capitalist agrarian transition and the overall development of capitalism in poor countries. More specifically, it has been critical to the understanding of the diverse and complex forms, the historical and material conditions through which capitalist relations may have emerged, expanded and become relevant in processes of agrarian change and rural transformation. By pursuing an Agrarian political economy approach, this paper discusses preliminary findings on the emergence of new 'classes' of rural agrarian capitalists (the so-called 'emerging farmers') and their place in processes of agrarian change and rural transformation in Southern Gaza Province of Mozambique. More specifically, it discusses the extent to which these new 'classes' of agrarian capitalists may have emerged, developed and expanded in particular regions around the Limpopo Valley, the specific historical and material conditions of their emergence and development and the differing forms these have taken. The paper defends that, as an analytical approach, (agrarian) political economy is of particular theoretical and empirical relevance, in the context of Mozambican studies more generally. Expanding its analytical horizons for the study of the emergence, trajectories and development of indigenous rural capitalists in the Limpopo Valley as well as in other regions is a pending assignment in the context of Mozambican rural research more particularly.