Deepening the ecological agrarian question: how ecologies of production shape capital accumulation, subsumption and producer agency in the Thai Nam Hom Coconut Industry

ABSTRACT Since the early 2000s, coconut water has become a global industry, with Thailand’s ‘Nam Hom’ variety highly valued. This paper explores how the expansion of Nam Hom production is reshaping land and labour, focusing on how the coconut’s material qualities and ecologies of production influence the subsumption of petty commodity producers under capitalism. It highlights how, even within formal subsumption, ecological choices can enable certain producer autonomies. By examining these dynamics, the paper contributes to the ecological agrarian question, encouraging further investigation into how ecologies of production shape capital-labour relations.