Peasants versus Agribusiness. How the Expansion of Agrarian Capitalism Fuels the Disputes over Water Appropriation

CÁCERES DM Y P RODRÍGUEZ BILELLA

Lisboa

Congreso; XIII World Congress of Rural Sociology; 2012

Drawing upon a case study in central Argentina, this paper: (a) makes conceptualizations in order to understand the strategies of appropriation of rural water, (b) analyses how recent socio-productive changes affect water appropriation, and (c) discusses the likely social consequences of this process, paying special attention to the most disadvantaged social actors. The results suggest that the expansion of agrarian capitalism undermines the autonomy of the rural poor to access to water both for human consumption and productive activities. Capitalized farmers are more successful in the appropriation of rural water. This reinforces the subordinated position of the rural poor and the structural inequality of these territories, increasing their vulnerability to client-patron relationships.