Introduction: Covid‐19 and the conditions and struggles of agrarian classes of labour

Pattenden, Jonathan; Campling, Liam; Castañón Ballivián, Enrique; Gras, Carla; Lerche, Jens; O'Laughlin, Bridget; Oya, Carlos; Pérez Niño, Helena; Sinha, Shreya

Abstract

Covid-19 generated a crisis in capitalism, but not of capitalism. Capitalism reproduces itself in crisis and in ways that have significant but uneven impacts on the conditions and struggles of agrarian classes of labour. This article explores preliminary studies of how Covid-19 has affected agrarian social formations in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the farmers, petty commodity producers, labourers and agribusinesses who populate them. It considers some of the implications for wage-labour, agriculture, accumulation and social reproduction including care work. And it briefly considers Covid-19's political impacts—in terms of the role of the state and possibilities for challenging capitalism, its violence and its ecological crisis.

Citation

Pattenden, J., Campling, L., Castañón Ballivián, E., Gras, C., Lerche, J., O'Laughlin, B., Oya, C., Pérez Niño, H., & Sinha, S. (in press). Introduction: Covid‐19 and the conditions and struggles of agrarian classes of labour. Journal of Agrarian Change, 21(3), 582-590. https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12440

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 31, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jun 22, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jul 10, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 10, 2021
• Journal: Journal of Agrarian Change
• Print ISSN: 1471-0358
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-0366
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 582-590
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12440
• Keywords: Covid-19, small farmers,labour, agri-business
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12440