Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia
Since civil wars hit rural areas intensely, Rural Producer Organizations (RPO) -as forms of long-term collective action or cooperation among small farmers- are considered essential for peacebuilding. However, the factors underpinning the formation and performance of RPO post-war are unclear. Based o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services)
2020-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of the Commons |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/1028 |
| _version_ | 1818575400170684416 |
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| author | Angela Navarrete-Cruz Athena Birkenberg Regina Birner |
| author_facet | Angela Navarrete-Cruz Athena Birkenberg Regina Birner |
| author_sort | Angela Navarrete-Cruz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since civil wars hit rural areas intensely, Rural Producer Organizations (RPO) -as forms of long-term collective action or cooperation among small farmers- are considered essential for peacebuilding. However, the factors underpinning the formation and performance of RPO post-war are unclear. Based on a case study in the municipality of Planadas, Colombia, where the former communist guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army – FARC-EP was formed and several associations flourished post-war, this article identifies 14 contextual factors facilitating the rise of RPO. Contrasting the findings with variables identified by collective action, commons theory, and literature on RPO, it was determined that four additional contextual variables play a critical role in RPO development post-war, namely, legacies of war, resilience strategies, institutional intermediaries, and discourses. 'Legacies of war' refer to the vestiges left by the kind of relationship developed between the main armed actor and the civilians in wartime. 'Economic activity as a resilience strategy' indicates civilians’ strategies to stay aside from the confrontation, reducing the probability of being harmed and preventing their involvement in the war or illegal economic activities. 'Intermediary institutions' are third-party organizations that influence RPO. In the case considered, this role was developed by certification schemes known as Voluntary Sustainability Standards. Controverting critical literature on the effects of the standards, the results suggest that they can enhance self-organizing capacities post-conflict at the local level. Finally, 'discourses' refer to additional incentives for RPO development regarding what participants consider valuable beyond economic benefits. Consequently, the article presents the foundations of an expanded framework to understand and foster RPO growth in post-war settings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:39:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-657a5c0017cd47b98bf75a5d765274ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1875-0281 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:39:46Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of the Commons |
| spelling | doaj.art-657a5c0017cd47b98bf75a5d765274ab2022-12-21T22:41:41ZengUtrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services)International Journal of the Commons1875-02812020-12-0114110.5334/ijc.1028495Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, ColombiaAngela Navarrete-Cruz0Athena Birkenberg1Regina Birner2Universität HohenheimUniversität HohenheimUniversität HohenheimSince civil wars hit rural areas intensely, Rural Producer Organizations (RPO) -as forms of long-term collective action or cooperation among small farmers- are considered essential for peacebuilding. However, the factors underpinning the formation and performance of RPO post-war are unclear. Based on a case study in the municipality of Planadas, Colombia, where the former communist guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army – FARC-EP was formed and several associations flourished post-war, this article identifies 14 contextual factors facilitating the rise of RPO. Contrasting the findings with variables identified by collective action, commons theory, and literature on RPO, it was determined that four additional contextual variables play a critical role in RPO development post-war, namely, legacies of war, resilience strategies, institutional intermediaries, and discourses. 'Legacies of war' refer to the vestiges left by the kind of relationship developed between the main armed actor and the civilians in wartime. 'Economic activity as a resilience strategy' indicates civilians’ strategies to stay aside from the confrontation, reducing the probability of being harmed and preventing their involvement in the war or illegal economic activities. 'Intermediary institutions' are third-party organizations that influence RPO. In the case considered, this role was developed by certification schemes known as Voluntary Sustainability Standards. Controverting critical literature on the effects of the standards, the results suggest that they can enhance self-organizing capacities post-conflict at the local level. Finally, 'discourses' refer to additional incentives for RPO development regarding what participants consider valuable beyond economic benefits. Consequently, the article presents the foundations of an expanded framework to understand and foster RPO growth in post-war settings.https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/1028collective actionpeacebuildinglegacies of warresilienceintermediary institutionsstandardsdiscoursespost-warcolombia |
| spellingShingle | Angela Navarrete-Cruz Athena Birkenberg Regina Birner Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia International Journal of the Commons collective action peacebuilding legacies of war resilience intermediary institutions standards discourses post-war colombia |
| title | Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia |
| title_full | Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia |
| title_fullStr | Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia |
| title_short | Factors Influencing the Development of Rural Producer Organizations in Post-War Settings. The Case of Coffee Growers Associations in Southern Tolima, Colombia |
| title_sort | factors influencing the development of rural producer organizations in post war settings the case of coffee growers associations in southern tolima colombia |
| topic | collective action peacebuilding legacies of war resilience intermediary institutions standards discourses post-war colombia |
| url | https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/1028 |
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