Agro-industrial Labour in Kenya

This ethnography analyses labour relations within the export-oriented cut flower industry at Lake Naivasha in Kenya. Though this agro-industry has attracted critical attention from journalists and non-governmental organizations, this book is the first comprehensive, social scientific analysis of the industry's labour arrangements and production processes. Gerda Kuiper here interprets the work on the farms as 'agro-industrial labour': a labour system characterized by high levels of discipline and a strict rhythm of work, due to the demands posed by a highly perishable agricultural product. This framework enables the author to draw on insights from a wide range of anthropological and sociological studies on (agro-)industrial wage labour around the globe. This mixed-methods approach, deployed alongside rich ethnographic detail, allows the author to center the flower farm workers in her analysis.

Provides one of the first detailed studies of a labor-intensive agricultural farm on the African continent Connects agro-industrial labor questions to conversations in gender studies, social networks, and translocality Contributes to an on-going public debate on labor conditions on Naivasha flower farms, which together employ tens of thousands of workers

Autorentext

Gerda Kuiper, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist with a regional focus on Eastern Africa, a thematic focus on economic anthropology and globalization, and a strong interdisciplinary commitment.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Naivasha's History: From Livestock to Flowers.- 3. Coming to Naivasha: Finding a Place to Stay and a Place to Work.- 4. Inside the Farms: Rhythms and Hierarchies.- 5. Workers' Settlements: In Search of Order.- 6. Building a Future: Preparing to Go 'Home'.- 7. Conclusion.