commodity

commodity

Paper instructions:
The point of this descriptive assignment is to investigate some of the economic geographical processes that—often invisibly—keep our “modern” lifestyles working the way they do. Your task is to trace the production and distribution of an everyday commodity, like the papaya Ian Cook discusses in his article “Follow the Thing—Papaya”. I want you to try and uncover the who, what, where, why and when of a commodity, from its origins all the way to its place on the shelf where you bought it. In other words, you need to:

(a) choose a commodity (not too “processed” or manufactured is better)

(b) find out where it comes from (for example, where it is grown or harvested), and where it is processed if different. If it comes from several different regions, pick one and focus on that.

(c) research the labor and technology that goes into producing it. For example, if some of it comes from a mine or is grown on a farm, where is the mine or the farm? Who owns the mine or the farm? Do the owners do the work, or do they hire miners or farmworkers? If so, who are the workers, and why do they do the work (as opposed to someone else)? How does one do the harvesting and processing work (i.e. what is the labour process)? What technologies/tools are used? Where do these technologies come from (are they imported? were they developed in situ?)

(d) research how this commodity is distributed across space. In Cook’s paper on papayas, for example, how does the papaya find its way from Jamaica to England? Who sells it? Who buys it? Where are the buyers? Do they then sell it to someone else? How does the papaya get to England? Boat? Plane? Do they have to pack it a special way so it does not get wrecked or go bad? Who does the packing? Who receives it in England? Where does it end up? Etc.

(e) describe where value is created and profit extracted along this chain. Can you discern who is making how much and where? What does this suggest for who has power in the production and distribution process?

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