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Agroecology accounting: biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods from the margins

Author

Listed:
  • Sanjay V. Lanka
  • Iqbal Khadaroo
  • Steffen Böhm

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a socio-ecological counter account of the role that agroecology plays in supporting the sustainable livelihoods of a co-operative of smallholder coffee farmers, where very little value is created at their end of the coffee commodity chain. Agroecology may be defined as the science that provides the ecological principles and concepts for the design and management of productive agricultural ecosystems that conserve natural resources. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses a case study design of a coffee-producing co-operative in India using data collected from participant observation, focus groups and unstructured interviews with indigenous smallholder farmers. It combines the science of agroecology with the labour theory of value as a theoretical framework. Findings - An agroecological approach supports agricultural biodiversity, while promoting sustainable livelihoods since members of the co-operative are able to reduce their use of external inputs. However, an agroecological transformation is curtailed by the continued dependence on corporate value chains. A framework using the labour theory of value is used to explain the extraction of surplus value from the labour of both the smallholder farmers as well as nature. This study provides evidence of the role of government policy and practice in perpetuating the status quo by not promoting either research on agroecology or direct consumer to producer value chains while providing subsidies for the inputs of industrial agriculture. Originality/value - There have been very few studies that have provided an account of the limited value generated in agricultural commodity chains for smallholder farmers due to the need to purchase the inputs of industrial agriculture supported by government subsidies. This study extends the field of accounting for biodiversity into agriculture using the science of agroecology to explain the role played by biodiversity in increasing the amount of value generated by smallholder farmers. By utilising the labour theory of value, the authors have introduced the notion of the labour power of nature as represented by the environmental services that nature provides.

Suggested Citation

  • Sanjay V. Lanka & Iqbal Khadaroo & Steffen Böhm, 2017. "Agroecology accounting: biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods from the margins," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(7), pages 1592-1613, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:aaajpp:aaaj-12-2015-2363
    DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-12-2015-2363
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dickson Mgangathweni Mazibuko & Hiroko Gono & Sarvesh Maskey & Hiromu Okazawa & Lameck Fiwa & Hidehiko Kikuno & Tetsu Sato, 2023. "The Sustainable Niche for Vegetable Production within the Contentious Sustainable Agriculture Discourse: Barriers, Opportunities and Future Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Carol Meritxell Molina-Monteleón & Amparo Mauricio-Gutiérrez & Rosalía Castelán-Vega & José Victor Tamariz-Flores, 2024. "Importance of Soil Health for Coffea spp. Cultivation from a Cooperative Society in Puebla, Mexico," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-13, April.
    3. David Martin, 2020. "Injecting power dynamics and biodiversity protection into elementary microeconomics," Working Papers 20-03, Davidson College, Department of Economics.
    4. Miranda, Carlos Moreno & Moreno, Raúl & Moreno, Pablo, 2020. "Protected-Denomination-of-Origin Cocoa Bean: Chain governance and Sustainability Performance," Economia agro-alimentare / Food Economy, Italian Society of Agri-food Economics/Società Italiana di Economia Agro-Alimentare (SIEA), vol. 22(1), April.
    5. Torelli, Riccardo & Balluchi, Federica, 2020. "Business Legitimacy, Agricultural Biodiversity and Environmental Ethics: Insights from Sustainable Bakeries," OSF Preprints sxzjf, Center for Open Science.
    6. Ramazan Çakmakçı & Mehmet Ali Salık & Songül Çakmakçı, 2023. "Assessment and Principles of Environmentally Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-27, May.
    7. Tweedie, Jonathan, 2023. "The emancipatory potential of counter accounting: A Žižekian critique," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    8. Leon H. Akpatcho & Patrice Y. Adegbola & Jacob A. Yabi, 2023. "Biodiversity and Food Diversity of Farms Using Agroecology in Benin Cotton Areas," Sustainable Agriculture Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(1), pages 1-24, April.
    9. Sophie Redecker & Christian Herzig, 2020. "The Peasant Way of a More than Radical Democracy: The Case of La Via Campesina," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(4), pages 657-670, July.
    10. Carlos Moreno Miranda & Ra?l Moreno & Pablo Moreno, 2020. "Protected-Denomination-of-Origin Cocoa Bean: Chain governance and Sustainability Performance," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 22(1), pages 1-24.
    11. Evelyn Lanka & Ali Rostron & Pallavi Singh & Sanjay Lanka, 2022. "Introduction to the Special Issue Call for Qualitative Research Tutorials in Contemporary Administration Studies: An Editorial," RAC - Revista de Administração Contemporânea (Journal of Contemporary Administration), ANPAD - Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, vol. 26(4), pages 210333-2103.
    12. Bigoni, Michele & Mohammed, Sideeq, 2023. "Critique is unsustainable: A polemic," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

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