Thousands of people around the world are currently engaged in efforts which they believe will make African cotton work better for the millions of people who grow this crop and the millions more who depend upon it. This book traces the historic relationships between cotton and poverty south of the Sahara and assesses aspects of the new social concern evident in the area. Taking an empirical international political economy approach, it details the ways in which globalization has enabled poverty reduction and poverty maintenance on African cotton farms. Sneyd argues that while cotton farming and poverty will be connected for many years to come, there is hope that these issues are now on the agenda.
'Adam
Sneyd's critique significantly contributes to the ongoing debate on
poverty among commodity producers.' - Jomo Kwame Sundaram, UN Assistant
Secretary General for Economic Development
'This
is a must read for scholars and policy-makers who are attempting to
understand the micro-realities and lived experience of Africa's poverty
problem. Sneyd belongs to an innovative and gifted generation of young
scholars who are forcing us to rethink the basics of international
political economy. His important book deserves high praise.' - Daniel
Drache, Associate Director, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies and
Professor of Political Science, York University, Toronto, Canada
'This
book offers a thoughtful and balanced assessment of the linkages
between cotton production and poverty in Africa in an era of economic
globalization. The book's discussion of new governance initiatives such
as corporate social responsibility efforts is both rich in detail and
highly engaging.' – Jennifer Clapp, CIGI Chair in Global Environmental
Governance and Professor, Balsillie School of International Affairs and
Environment and Resources Department, University of Waterloo, Canada
Introduction: Cotton-Picking Problems Beyond the WTO
Historic Relationships Between Cotton and Poverty
Global Trade Governance and Cotton Dependence: Beyond Poverty Maintenance
Breaking the Historic Relationships in Tanzania
NGOs, Conventional Production and Poverty
CSR and the Cotton-Poverty Relationship
Conclusions: Global Interventions and Poverty Eradication