Resumen

FARRE, Albert. Women and the myth of subsistence agriculture: From exporting food to food dependency in Southern Mozambique. Cadernos de Estudos Africanos [online]. 2015, n.29, pp.31-58. ISSN 1645-3794.

As in many African countries, agriculture has been one of the key issues when debating rural development in Mozambique. One of the current concepts in these debates is the so called subsistence agriculture. In this article we propose an historical perspective to look at changes in rural areas of Southern Mozambique before colonialism, during colonialism and after the independence. By focusing on the evolution of rural markets, social inequalities, kin and other hierarchies that structure rural societies, we propose that concepts as subsistence agriculture and family sector, if used without taking into account historical changes, tend to simplify too much ever changing rural complexities. We conclude that history can help  in socioeconomic analysis and  a better diagnosis for future policies.

Palabras clave : Mozambique; history; subsistence agriculture; women; mobility; markets.

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