Changing what it means to work on the land: agroecology and agrarian change in Malawi

ABSTRACT Smallholder farmers are, increasingly, part-time farmers, who spend much of their time and energy off-farm. How does the reorganization of the labor process of rural livelihoods shape the future of farming? This case study, based on qualitative research from Malawi, locates the politics of agrarian change within the labor process, to center the material conditions of work, and, importantly, how the emotional and symbolic aspects of work alter its physical experience. By contrasting the working experiences of semi-proletariats to those of full-time, agroecological farmers, I show how the daily conditions of agricultural work influence livelihood aspirations and land management practices.