The sociology of agriculture in transition: The political economy of agriculture after biotechnology

In 2007, a global food crisis brought the topic of agriculture back into the public eye, and retriggered debates about the ability of agricultural industrialization to feed the world. As a nature-based process and an exception to capitalist industrialization, agriculture trends are difficult to assess. One of the more productive attempts to do so has developed conceptual tools that account for the distinction from typical capital accumulation patterns, notably Goodman, Sorj, and Wilkinson’s (1987) classic concepts of “appropriationism” and “substitutionism.” Agricultural biotechnologies are testing the limits of even these more refined conceptualizations, as the technologies’ associated proprietary framework — including seed saving restrictions, grower contracts, and patent infringement litigation — is reorganizing many traditional agricultural practices. Drawing on case studies in Mississippi, U.S. and Saskatchewan, Canada, this paper argues that these trends suggest a need for a new concept in political economy of agriculture theory, which I term “expropriationism.” This concept identifies several aspects of an agricultural reorganization premised on legal means to enhance capital accumulation and on separating corporate ownership from liability. This accumulation strategy has important implications given the high salience that agriculture has for society.