Data Sheet 1_Integrating agrarian differentiation and labor mobility into TAPE-based assessments of agroecology. A methodological exploration in the Cambodian rice sector.pdf

The study helped frame agroecological performance from the perspective of the recent agrarian dynamics that have emerged in each area and have largely favored conventional agriculture models that rely on synthetic agro-chemicals and mechanization to achieve higher production and exports. This modernization pathway has unfolded in both landscapes and has resulted in rapid differentiation between smallholder farming households in terms of asset structure and labor processes.

Our approach provides a basis for understanding why farmers’ production logic, constraints, and opportunities to engage time and resources in more sustainable farming practices vary considerably between and within landscapes. We argue that enriching the TAPE approach with such political-economic questions of agrarian changes makes it possible to link scales and to understand how agrarian modernization intersects with transition to agroecology.

We see it as an important component for tailoring meaningful policies and practices that embrace the daily labor realities of smallholder farming households.</p>