Peasants and migrant workers in the farms and the mines: synergies and contradictions

This paper builds on a reflection by Nicholson, a founding member of La Via Campesina, on the contradictions faced by peasant households worldwide—specifically, the increasing necessity to combine wage work with small-scale farming and the use of migrant labour. For peasant households, contradiction exists not only in farming but also in relation to other sectors where they themselves engage in wage work, such as in the agribusiness, service sector or in the mines. Focusing on the aspects of contradictions, this paper explores the situation of peasant households and migrant mine workers in Kachin State, Myanmar, as they navigate a socio-ecological landscape transformed by land rushes. The processes driving the mining economy are intertwined with and, in some ways, support the persistence of peasant agriculture. This means that the mining industry, while is often viewed as detrimental to rural livelihoods, is paradoxically contributing to the survival of peasant households.