The rise of flex crops and commodities: implications for research

Abstract

As a concept and phenomenon, ‘flex crops and commodities’ feature ‘multiple-ness’ and ‘flexible-ness’ as two distinct but intertwined dimensions. These key crops and commodities are shaped by the changing global context that is itself remoulded by the convergence of multiple crises and various responses. Editorial Note: The Journal of Peasant Studies (JPS) is publishing several exploratory papers on flex crops and commodities (JPS flex crops special forum). The purpose of the forum is to help generate systematic discussion on the idea and phenomenon of flex crops towards identifying possible future research agenda. There are several papers in this forum, including: (i) the introductory and framing paper by Borras, Franco, Isakson, Levidow and Vervest, (ii) Gillon on corn, (iii) McKay, Sauer, Richardson, and Herre on sugarcane, (iv) Schneider and Oliveira on soya, (v) Alonso-Fradejas, Liu, Salerno and Xu on oil palm, and (vii) Hunsberger and Alonso-Fradejas on policy narratives. JPS would like to acknowledge the important intellectual and logistical contributions by the Agrarian, Food and Environmental Studies group at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS, www.iss.nl/afes) as well as the Transnational Institute (TNI, www.tni.org) that jointly organized the initial research and the authors' workshop that helped shape the papers in this forum.The greater multiple-ness of crops and commodity uses has altered the patterns of their production, circulation and consumption, as novel dimensions of their political economy. These new patterns change the power relations between landholders, agricultural labourers, crop exporters, processors and traders; in particular, they intensify market competition among producers and incentivize changes in land-tenure arrangements. Crop and commodity flexing have three main types – namely, real flexing, anticipated/speculative flexing and imagined flexing; these have many intersections and interactions. Their political-economic dynamics involve numerous factors that variously incentivize, facilitate or hinder the ‘multiple-ness' and/or ‘flexible-ness' of particular crops and commodities. These dynamics include ‘flex narratives' by corporate and state institutions to justify promotion of a flex agenda through support policies. In particular, a bioeconomy narrative envisages a future ‘value web’ developing more flexible value chains through more interdependent, interchangeable products and uses. A future research agenda should investigate questions about material bases, real-life changes, flex narratives and political mobilization.