Productive forces and the contradictions of capitalist agriculture: agroecology as a sustainable alternative in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This paper critiques the assumption that capitalist agriculture inherently develops productive forces, highlighting its internal contradictions and questioning its sustainability as a viable agricultural model. Using immanent critique, the paper engages with the capitalist framework on its own terms to demonstrate how its focus on profit maximisation and short-term productivity leads to long-term ecological degradation, social inequities, and the erosion of essential agroecological knowledge. The focus is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region with immense agricultural potential, regarded as the last frontier of capitalist agricultural development and heavily affected by the ecological crises. The paper argues that agroecology offers a sustainable alternative that prioritises social justice, environmental sustainability, and the empowerment of smallholder farmers. Integrating traditional agroecological knowledge with scientific innovation, agroecology challenges the dominant capitalist model, proposing a more just and resilient agricultural system for SSA. It concludes by emphasising the critical role of social movements in driving the transition to agroecology in the region.