Peasant Resistance in Burkina Faso's Cotton Sector

Abstract This article examines how and why smallholder peasants mobilize for collective action to put forward their claims. Taking the resistance by cotton farmers in Burkina Faso as a case study, it demonstrates that institutions of neoliberal governance – which are presented proponents making more “effective” improving participation various public private stakeholders different degrees nevertheless fail represent interests large population agrarian poor. In 2010s, sector became field contention, with producers mobilizing on massive scale take action. It is argued mobilization can be explained through effects sector's liberalization. Economic liberalization, has been promoted World Bank since mid-1990s, changed institutional setting significantly impacted ways means claim-making available farmers. Building primary data (qualitative interviews, focus group discussions, observations) collected during several months research between 2018 2020, analyses press reports variety documents, recent protests examined related these liberalization policies.