Resource information
Abstract: "Given the widespread smallholder impulse to engage
in commodity booms in Southeast Asia and the
potential for this engagement to offer a more
inclusive development pathway than large-scale
plantation production, we examine three issues: Wh
at are the agro-economic factors favouring or
obstructing smallholder modes of commodity production relative to large-scale production entities?
What are the incentives for agribusiness firms to contribute to smallholder commodity production
through roles other than direct farm management? Can smallholder commodity
production be broadly
inclusive in the face of tendencies towards agrarian differentiation and the market imperatives of
agribusiness firms? We present a preliminary exploration of these questions through localised case
studies of smallholder engagement with four commodity sectors – oil palm, rubber, cassava, and teak.
