Work

Soil extractivism: Political ontology of soil erasure in the European Union's agricultural politics

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This article examines how specific (non-relational) political ontological understandings of soils are incorporated into industrial agricultural politics in the European Union and introduces a complementary contribution to existing literature with the concept of soil extractivism. The concept is used to describe current institutionalized ways of relating to soils and their dynamics of power. Through an integrative literature review, the article links existing research on soils with the development of modern agriculture in Europe. The theoretical contribution of soil extractivism provides a conceptual tool for understanding currently dominant ways of treating soils as a key part of modernity and industrial capitalism as well as part of wider destructions of multispecies relations.

Source: Journal of Rural Studies

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103298

Author: Saana Hokkanen

Institution: University of Helsinki

Language: English

Topic: Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development

Subfield: Development

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,890