Paper short abstract:

Sustainability and equality, for which degrowthists are thirsty, already exist in rural Africa. This paper argues that such a convivial nature of rural communities may derive from the fact that agricultural practices and social relations of villagers largely remain uncaptured by state and market.

Paper long abstract:

Although there has been a strident advocacy of “Green Revolution” in sub-Saharan Africa, the greater part of villagers are still reluctant to join it. Forty years ago, Goran Hyden called our attention to “uncaptured peasantry,” a term which aptly summarizes the situation in which both state and market failed to involve African peasants into modernization projects. This paper examines how African villagers still remain “uncaptured” both in terms of their agricultural practices and social organizations. It also explores the implications of “uncapturedness” for building more sustainable agri-food systems in the developed world. In contrast to standardized Green Revolution technologies characterized by mono-cropping and heavy use of agro-chemicals and machines, techniques characterizing African agriculture such as mixed-cropping and no-tillage contribute to conserving soil and enhancing bio-diversity. Although an increased population pressure and penetration of the market economy have prompted villagers more recently to adopt intensive farming techniques, polyculture and diversification to secure subsistence still characterize agriculture and rural life in may parts of Africa. This fact suggests that the state agenicies and markets are not yet powerful enough to fundamentally transform the peasant production system, allowing villagers considerable leeway to make their own decision over farm management. Their relative independence from the state and the market can also be found in their social organizations. Villagers are still involved in the communal networks of mutual help and interdependency, which also enable them to defend their lives not only from capricious climate and market, but also against unfavourable state intervention.