The agrarian question, degrowth and the Global South

Abstract

Despite the rise of the degrowth idea and movement, which opposes the limitless economic growth mindset, little work has been done on its perspective on agriculture, land and the conditions of the peasantry, especially in relation to the Global South. Yet, the agrarian lens is not only desirable but also necessary for degrowth to expand its horizon at the theoretical level as well as its activism to tackle contemporary crises of environment, climate, and global capitalism. This thesis aims to draw on the “agrarian question” from critical agrarian studies and bring relevant elements of it to broaden degrowth’s research agenda. By conceptualizing agrarian elements within degrowth, possible ways to achieve agrarian degrowth are explored. As a result, social movements, pluriversality, agroecology, and delinking have been identified to be of significant importance in driving agrarianization of degrowth and a degrowth transition. The main argument of the thesis is that social movements will be the main actors of change during a transition period, with agroecological practices adopted for agricultural production and rural livelihoods and supported by pluriverse practices at all levels for the end goal of delinking the Global South from the global capitalist system and its negative social and environmental effects.