Green Gold: Contested Meanings And Socio-environmental Change In Argentine Yerba Mate Cultivation (springerbriefs In Latin American Studies) Paperback

This book applies an approach to study the externalization of cost under capitalism in the production of Argentine yerba mate, an infusion with stimulant properties long used by indigenous peoples. Consumption in today’s globalized economy makes it difficult to understand the consequences of our actions across the globe. A political-ecological lens, informed by the work of Robert Sack and Ian Cook, can help guide an analysis that geographically reconstructs supply chains and reveal the realities of consumption. The use of yerba mate has become a cornerstone of Argentine society and identity, and yerba mate processors are working to expand exports globally. In Argentina’s Misiones Province, the heart of yerba mate production, the true costs of production are borne by the children, the impoverished laborers, and the environment of Argentina’s Atlantic Rainforest. These consequences of modernity, along with the efforts of an NGO to remedy them, are presented and assessed. Preface Contents 1 Introduction References 2 A Biographical Sketch of Yerba Mate 2.1 Consumption and Production 2.2 Botany and Biogeography of Yerba Mate 2.3 History of Yerba Mate 2.4 Production Process 2.5 Marketing, Global Proliferation and INYM References 3 “Get[ting] Behind the Veil:” A “Sackian” Political-Ecological Approach 3.1 Political Ecology 3.2 Robert Sack and the Construction of Place 3.3 Michael Carolan and Food System Concentration 3.4 Putting it all Together: Political Ecological Lens Imbued by Sack, Cook, and Carolan References 4 INYM, Prices, and the Argentine Yerba Mate Food System 4.1 Current Socioeconomic Contexts: Argentina and Misiones 4.2 The Argentine Yerba Mate Food System 4.3 Pricing Regime References 5 Socio-Environmental Consequences of Low Margins in the Argentine Yerba Mate Food System 5.1 Land Concentration and Tenure 5.2 The Plight of the Tareferos 5.3 Child Labor 5.4 Health-Related Hazards Associated with Chemical Inputs 5.5 Environmental Harm Associated with Chemical Inputs References 6 Conclusions 6.1 Future Work and Limitations 6.2 Closing Thoughts References