Peasant Production & Limits to Labour Thyolo & Mzima Districts in Malawi, Mid-1930s to Late-1970s

"The persistence of a low productive peasant sector in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the enigmas of development research. Erik Green approaches this crucial question by analysing the paths of agrarian change in two contrasting cases in Malawi from the mid-1930s to the late 1970s. The two cases - Thyolo and Mzimba districts - with their differences in terms of population density, infrastructure and environmental contexts, are compared with a focus on changes in agricultural production and farming systems." "Through an extensive use of archival and oral sources, the author shows that, given the technology level, the persistence of low production capacity is found in local structures and institutions that are similar in the two cases. Of crucial importance are the structures of partial integration that set limits to labour supply and flexibility, as are the property regimes that create institutional barriers to the profitable use of additional labour. In sum, peasant farms lack access to cheap and easily available labour. In the concluding chapter the historical findings are related to current trends of peasant agriculture in Malawi. Green argues that limitations and barriers to increased production still prevail, and that any strategy to increase production per capita of peasant farms has to be based on the awareness that labour is not a low-cost and easily attainable factor of production."--BOOK JACKET.Green, Erik is the author of 'Peasant Production & Limits to Labour Thyolo & Mzima Districts in Malawi, Mid-1930s to Late-1970s', published 2005 under ISBN 9789122021308 and ISBN 9122021302.