Agrarian Change and Peasant Prospects in Haiti
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 5-4-2015 12:00 AM Agrarian Change and Peasant Prospects in Haiti Marylynn Elizabeth Steckley The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Tony Weis The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Geography A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Marylynn Elizabeth Steckley 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Human Geography Commons, and the Latin American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Steckley, Marylynn Elizabeth, "Agrarian Change and Peasant Prospects in Haiti" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2831. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2831 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Agrarian Change and Peasant Prospects in Haiti (Thesis format: Integrated Article) by Marylynn Steckley Graduate Program in Geography and the Collaborative Graduate Program in Migration and Ethnic Relations A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Degree Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Marylynn Steckley 2015 Abstract Haiti is one of the poorest and most severely hunger-stricken countries in the world (GHI 2013). Its contradictions are jarring: although Haiti has the largest relative agrarian population in the Western Hemisphere and relatively less land inequality than the rest of the region (Smucker et al. 2000; Wiens and Sobrado 1998), it is extremely food insecure. Almost 90 percent of the rural population lives below the poverty line (FAO 2014; IFAD 2014), and Haiti relies on food imports for 60 percent of national consumption (OXFAM 2010). Some scholars argue that the spread of commodity relations, persistent rural class differentiation, and dispossession mean that most peasants can no longer reproduce themselves outside of markets, having been transformed into petty commodity producers with many households depending upon some degree of off-farm earnings (Bernstein 2001; Araghi 1995). Others, however, claim that ‘de-peasantization’ is far from inevitable, and stress that peasants continue to persist with varying relations to markets, still constitute a large share of humanity, and are actively fighting to defend their livelihoods (Ploeg 2009; Borras and Edelman 2008; McMichael 2006). At the broadest level, this dissertation explores contemporary struggles facing Haitian peasants in the belief that while they face extremely adverse circumstances, their continuing decline is far from inevitable. On the contrary, this dissertation is premised on the conviction that improving the livelihoods of peasant farmers is fundamental to reducing poverty and food insecurity in Haiti. More specifically, the papers in this dissertation explore various key aspects of Haiti’s agriculture and food system, including dietary aspirations, an intensifying agro-export push, and competing visions for rural development in the wake of the disastrous 2010 earthquake. Individually and collectively, considerable attention is given to some of the ii enduring legacies of the colonial period, and the interconnections between race, class, and food, while being sure to situate the cultural dimensions of peasant problems in their political economic context. This includes focusing heavily on the role played by dominant ‘development’ actors in Haiti (the foreign donor community; NGOs; the state; transnational corporations; domestic agribusinesses and merchant elites) and their relations with peasants in the post-earthquake period. The foundation of this dissertation is extensive field research conducted between November 2010 and July 2013 in a commune in Haiti’s Artibonite Department, the most important food producing part of the country. Field research involved a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. My hope is that this dissertation offers a rich, deeply grounded contribution into some of the most crucial issues influencing agrarian change and food security in Haiti today, and provides valuable insights into agrarian change and peasant livelihoods and struggles in Haiti and beyond. iii Keywords Colonialism; Race; Peasant resistance; Agrarian Change; Agrarian Political Economy; Food Sovereignty; Haiti; Peasant Studies; Ethnography; Development; Qualitative Methods iv Co-Authorship Statement Chapter 2 is co-authored with Tony Weis. Chapter 3 is sole-authored. Chapter 4 co-authored with Yasmine Shamsie. Chapter 5 is co-authored with Tony Weis. v Acknowledgments I fondly remember the day I met Ari Nikola at his choukoun in the mountains above Port-au- Prince. That day Ari pricked my consciousness about the complexities of race and identity in Haiti, planting the seeds for this dissertation. I spent many more days with Ari and was always captivated by his stories and his wisdom. Today I am thankful to consider him a mentor, friend, and parenn of my son. In my doctoral studies, I was privileged to receive research funding from the International Development Research Council of Canada, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In Western’s Geography Department, I am thankful for the input, guidance and friendship of many. I would like to thank: Rachel Bezner-Kerrr for her support early on in my studies; my comprehensive examination committee members, Jamie Baxter, and Belinda Dodson; and Lori Johnson for guidance and encouragement along the way. I am especially grateful to Jola Ajibade and Karen Ross who braved the PhD pathway before me and provided helpful advice, comforting words of wisdom and a hug or two when the path ahead seemed daunting. I also wish to offer sincere thanks to Yasmine Shamsie at Wilfrid Laurier University, for opening doors, for providing counsel, and for giving me the opportunity to collaborate in both research and writing. This process was very rewarding and I am very grateful to Yasmine for her heartening encouragement. I owe a great deal to Anton Allahar, first for obliterating my understanding of “race”, and then for providing new foundations that helped shape my research on colour-coded class relations in Haiti. My first encounter with Prof. Allahar was on the first day of a graduate course entitled “Race, Class and Colonialism.” Those who know him will not be surprised to vi learn that his first words to the class that day were audacious: “What race are you?” The reactions of my peers and the conversations that followed remain etched in my memory and that class has been extremely influential in shaping my conceptions of identity. Prof. Allahar’s captivating lectures and his courage to challenge some of the deep-seated beliefs of his students has made him one of my most favourite teachers, and I have never felt more passion for learning than when in his class. He also deserves special thanks for lifting my spirits with his generous comments on my writing. Tony Weis has been both a committed advisor and important mentor for me both within and beyond academia. During my first year as a doctoral student I developed a strong desire to conduct extended field research in rural Haiti, and while some questioned the feasibility and risk associated with such a project, Tony was fully supportive. I am so grateful to him for his faith in me, and for encouraging me to pursue long-term field research. During fieldwork, Tony’s unwavering support was invaluable; he was both a source of comfort, always sympathetic to the health and other struggles of our family, and also a source of energy to push forward. I returned to Canada in 2013 with mountains of data and often struggled with how to identify the most important problems to tackle and how to frame my arguments. Tony has always spurred me on by asking thoughtful questions and by pointing me to literature rather than by taking the reins. The balance Tony struck between guiding me on one hand and allowing me the freedom to pursue my own interests on the other, has helped make this experience rewarding and, as a result, I am completing this degree not only with confidence in the scholarly contributions that will result from this dissertation, but with a much deeper sense of fulfillment that has come from doing work that is meaningful to me on a more personal level. vii Tony has edited and provided comprehensive and constructive feedback on multiple drafts of this dissertation, and somehow he has always managed to do this with incredible patience, grace, and with a spirit of encouragement. I am extremely grateful to have had the privilege to work with and learn from such a brilliant man and I will very much miss the mini-lectures I received over coffee or in his office. I always came away from our conversations baffled by Tony’s memory and by the breadth of his knowledge, but also energized by his keen sense of social justice. The company and companionship of many family members and friends has kept me going throughout the course of my PhD. I am indebted to many in Dezam who patiently taught me about Haiti, inspirited me by their creativity and humour, and who supported my family through some challenging times. In particular, I want to thank Palaso, Lusilya, Franklin, Fritzné, Franzo and Gerda. I am especially thankful to Jean-Remy, who is the most gentle and democratic person that I have met, and whose commitment to cross-cultural understanding, consensus decision-making and nonviolent conflict resolution is nothing short of heroic. Jean-Remy’s generosity and patience is humbling, and I am very privileged to know him. I also want to express my gratitude to two dear friends: Solette and Stanlé. In Port-au-Prince, I was very fortunate to have an assortment of inspirational friends and will name only a few here.