The international conference “Contemporary Agrarian Systems in the Global South: Emerging Institutional Arrangements, Challenges and Responses” brought together scholars, researchers, activists and practitioners to examine the changing institutional, economic, environmental and social structures shaping agriculture and agrarian societies across the Global South.
Organised under the auspices of the Global Labour University by the Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies , Jawaharlal Nehru University, in collaboration with the Sam Moyo African Institute for Agrarian Studies , Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for the South, ActionAid India , Agrarian South Network, and ICDD, the three-day conference provided a forum for critical engagement with contemporary agrarian transformations and the challenges facing farmers and agricultural workers.
The conference opened with an introduction by Praveen Jha and a keynote lecture by Prabhat Patnaik, chaired by Issa Shivji, on “Imperialism and Third World Agriculture.” The keynote set the broader political-economic context for discussions on agriculture in the Global South and the continuing significance of global structures of power and accumulation.
A series of round tables examined the changing organisation of agricultural production and exchange. “Global Agricultural Value Systems and the South” brought together perspectives on the growing integration of agricultural production into global value systems, while “Transnational Architecture and Agrarian Distress” explored the role of transnational institutions and structures in shaping agrarian crises. A further round table, “Agrarian and Labour Relations: Illustrations from the South,” examined the changing relationship between land, labour and agrarian production through experiences from different parts of the Global South.
A major strand of the conference focused on environmental regulation and social certification of agriculture. Across two sessions, participants examined certification regimes, environmental governance and the changing institutional frameworks through which agricultural production is regulated. These discussions were complemented by a special lecture by Christoph Scherrer on “The Political Economy of Certification,” highlighting the wider political-economic dimensions of contemporary certification systems.
The conference also featured the launch of the FAO report The Global Economy of Pulses (2019), edited by Vikas Rawal and Dorian Kalamvrezos Navarro. The report was presented by Vikas Rawal, followed by reflections from Abhijit Sen, Paris Yeros, Rajeswari Raina, Walter Chambati and Vijoo Krishnan. The session provided an opportunity to connect questions of agricultural commodities, food systems and global markets with broader debates on agrarian transformation.
The concluding sessions returned to the wider theoretical and political questions underlying contemporary agrarian change. A session on “Response on Global Agricultural Value Systems”, chaired by Jayati Ghosh, brought together perspectives from Issa Shivji, Christoph Scherrer, Paris Yeros and Praveen Jha. The conference concluded with a valedictory lecture by Utsa Patnaik, chaired by Dzodzi Tsikata, on “An Alternative Perspective on the Agrarian Question.”
The conference also marked an important continuation of the intellectual engagement with the legacy of Sam Moyo. The proceedings concluded with the launch of Rethinking Social Sciences with Sam Moyo (Tulika, 2020), edited by Praveen Jha, Paris Yeros and Walter Chambati. Paris Yeros presented the book, followed by reflections from Himanshu and Pradeep Shinde.
Across its sessions, the conference brought together perspectives on agrarian distress, agricultural value systems, transnational institutions, environmental regulation, social certification, labour relations, food and commodity systems, and the continuing agrarian question. By connecting theoretical perspectives with empirical experiences from India, Africa and other parts of the Global South, the conference sought to deepen understanding of the institutional arrangements and political-economic processes shaping contemporary agrarian systems.
The conference concluded with a vote of thanks by Archana Prasad and Sandeep Chachra.
