Power and pepper sauce : challenging global hegemony through state-supported agriculture

Abstract

This paper investigates the strengths and challenges of state-supported agricultural programmes in the eastern Caribbean island state of St. Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG). The state-supported agri-processing corporation Vincyfresh is used as a case study to argue the benefits of state-run corporations to challenge dependency and western imperialism in a post-colonial state. Drawing on a Gramscian theoretical framework, themes of colonialism, hegemony and independence are explored along with the benefits & challenges of fair trade and alternative models of trade and development. The paper explores how colonialism and neocolonial power relations play out in regard to agricultural trade in SVG and the international market taking into account political-historical relationships between Caribbean states and colonial powers in the contemporary context.