RE-PATRIARCHALIZATION OF PEASANT TERRITORIES THROUGH THE MAIZE AGROINDUSTRY: THE PROCESS OF THE COMMUNITY WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF TOSAGUA (AMUCOMT)
REPATRIARCALIZACIÓN DE LOS TERRITORIOS CAMPESINOS MEDIANTE LA AGROINDUSTRIA DEL MAÍZ: EL PROCESO DE LA ASOCIACIÓN DE MUJERES COMUNITARIAS DE TOSAGUA (AMUCOMT)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/s0717-73562026000100512
Belén Valencia Castro
Key Words: Re-patriarchalization, agroecology, feminisms, territory, peasant women and corn
Abstract
This article explores the territorial perception of peasant women belonging to the Community Women’s Association of Tosagua (AMUCOMT) and the impacts of their organization on their daily lives, focusing on the transition from peanut management to maize collection and storage. Conducted between October 2022 and December 2023, the research used feminist methodologies such as body-territory mapping, talking maps, and structured interviews. The findings reveal that while peanut production initially fostered women’s economic and collective autonomy, the shift toward maize collection and storage—driven by state support and agroindustry—triggered a process of “repatriarchalization”. This process reinforced traditional gender roles, masculinized decision-making, and displaced women members from control over production. In response, agroecology emerges as an alternative for political and vital resistance, enabling women to reclaim food sovereignty, diversify their crops, and reaffirm their bodily and territorial autonomy.
