Cambios en la dinámica de la economía campesina a partir de la adopción de la palma de aceite en el Soconusco, Chiapas

Abstract

In recent years we have observed a process of changes in Latin American economies that are expressed in what has been called the “reprimarization” and “financialization” of the economy. This phenomenon has changed the dynamics of local production and the living conditions of the peasant population. These processes can be observed in Soconusco, Chiapas, where the cultivation of oil palm has become the main economic livelihood of thousands of peasants families. This article analyzes the changes that it has generated in the dynamics of the peasant economy since its adoption in the 1990s, related to land use and the seasonality of agriculture. It is highlighted that, although for the peasants, palm is more profitable than other crops, including livestock, its production dynamics entails substantial changes in its relationship with the market and the nature. The analysis draw from peasant theory in the context of neoliberal globalization, and is based on field work carried out in the municipalities of Huixtla, Villa Comaltitlan, and Mapastepec, between June 2017 and January 2020.