Class differentiation, deagrarianization, and repeasantization following the coffee crisis in Agua Buena, Costa Rica

This research evaluated trajectories of agrarian change following liberalization and deregulation of the coffee commodity chain, assessing the transformation of agrarian class structures and livelihoods between 2000 and 2009 among landed coffee farmers from Agua Buena, Costa Rica. Simultaneous processes of differentiation, deagrarianization, and repeasantization are documented. Deagrarianization is identified as the result of either adaptive or maladaptive processes of livelihood diversification out of agriculture. Repeasantization is characterized by the widespread adoption of low external-input agriculture driven by cultural norms of self-sufficiency and labour flexibility within farm households. In order to ensure equitability and the continued viability of rural households in communities ravaged by commodity deregulation, aid and training need to be targeted towards resource-poor households in two principal areas: first, to transition off-farm livelihoods into stable and high return activities and, second, to provide the agroecological knowledge and resources for farming households to self-provision and distantiate themselves from the market.