Negotiating Contract Farming in the Dominican Republic

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This study analyzes the political and economic conditions that have fueled the rise of contract farming between peasant smallholders and agroindustrial firms in the Dominican Republic. Through a case study of tomato production, I illuminate the nature of contracting from the perspective of processing-firm officials and growers. I find that while processing firms pursue contracts to access peasant household land and labor, marginal producers turn to agroindustrial contracting to acquire credit and secure markets. My longitudinal analysis reveals how the ideological and material facets of the contract are continuously renegotiated in the context of changing production and market conditions. Ideological struggles revolve around the position of growers, who identify themselves as independent producers but who are viewed by firm officials as dependent employees, irrelevant landlords, and even idle tourists. Recent material struggles have centered on the distribution of pest-induced production losses, which have largely been absorbed by peasant growers, forcing them deep into debt. My findings illustrate the potentially critical role of the state in mediating contract relations between unequal parties and thwarting the potential expropriation of peasant land.