Staying Rooted: The Care Ethics of Subsistence Farmers in Rural Paraguay

Abstract

Care practices sustain campesino (small-scale farmer) communities in Curuguaty, Paraguay, amid complex pressures from the state, agribusiness, and illicit economies. These rural communities continue to grapple with the far-reaching impacts of the 2012 Curuguaty massacre, one of the most egregious human rights violations in 21st-century Latin America, which claimed the lives of eleven campesinos and led to the wrongful imprisonment of eighteen others. In addition to the emotional and psychological toll this event exacted on the community, it thrust the region into the national and international spotlight, bringing the campesinos into contact with urban allies from environmental and human rights NGOs as well as the Catholic Church. This ethnographic study explores how these campesinos navigate their precarious existence, contending with both internal divisions and external pressures from the Catholic Church, NGOs, and illicit economies tied to the marijuana industry. Despite significant challenges, many campesinos persist in caring for one another and the land, an ethic that informs their labor practices and land stewardship. Rooted in principles of reciprocity, interdependence, and collective responsibility, their care practices extend beyond interpersonal and ecological relationships and shape their conception of citizenship. As such, they view their contributions to national food security as a foundation for seeking state protection and resources, asserting their worthiness for recognition and support from the state. By examining the tensions between campesino values and external forces, I contribute to scholarship at the intersection of feminist care ethics, labor, and citizenship, illustrating how care can sustain both human and ecological relationships in the face of neoliberal extractive capitalism.