Sociology of Farming

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg is Emeritus Professor at Wageningen University, the Netherlands and an Adjunct Professor in the College of Humanities and Development Studies at the China Agricultural University in Beijing. He is the author of The New Peasantries: Rural Development in Times of Globalization (Routledge, 2018).

'This book fills a longstanding gap in rural studies. Nobody in the sociological tradition could do it better than Jan Douwe. The multiple levels, the distinct shapes and the different dimensions of agriculture are carefully canvassed by someone who knows the subject from personal history and as a research topic. It’s a seminal book that honors the good tradition of great rural sociologists from the past, and must be read by all agrarian, rural and food scholars of the future.'Sergio Schneider, Full Professor of Sociology of Rural Development and Food Studies, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil'This book brings together knowledge acquired through a long and productive career of deep/analytical thinking and research delving into the complexities of agriculture, nature, and those engaged in food production. If you want to learn more about the significance of the farm labour process and how radical transformations of food systems are already underway in various parts of the world, read this book!' Annette Aurélie Desmarais, Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty, University of Manitoba'The Sociology of Farming is an original, grounded, systematic and brilliant textbook that goes far beyond the boundaries set by its title to encompass global social life. It must be read by all students concerned about the future of humanity and our planet.'Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Professor of Agrarian Studies, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Netherlands"TheSociology of Farmingspells out the importance of a sociological perspective of farming and champions the call for methodological crea-tivity. It isasinspiring as it is critical—an impor-tant read for every rural sociologist, agroecologist, and agrifood systems scholar."Danielle Schmidt, Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development

• 1. The specificity of farming 2. The farm labour process 3. Markets and technology: A space for manoeuvre 4. Styles of farming 5. Farm development trajectories and agricultural growth 6. Farming, society and capital 7. Rural development processes 8. Constructing new markets 9. Peasant resistances and struggles 10. Dealing with socio-material practices