Blooming in Globalization: Phalaenopsis Orchid's Cross-border Commodity Chain as a Case of Taiwan's Agricultural Global Development
Date Issued
2005
Date
2005
Author(s)
Liu, Chao-Yin
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
As existing theories of globalization of agriculture are largely focused on agro-food multinational corporations in advanced capitalist countries, how small producers in less developed countries participate in the global economy has been paid little attention. This research takes Phalaenopsis orchid industry as an example to explore some of the unique globalization processes of Taiwan’s export agriculture. Phalaenopsis, a non-traditional export crop, has a ‘new’ way of agricultural production and consumption which is indicated by a ‘new’ technological, social, economic and geographical development. Since globalization of the Phalaenopsis industry is characterized by a vertically articulated live commodity chain and particular traits of cultural consumption, the author argues that the tensions between biological rigidity, trade flexibility and consumer heterogeneity serve as the driving force in shaping the division of labor in the commodity chain. The way Taiwanese orchid growers deal with the tensions is to practice just-in-time production through a combined effort of agricultural industrialization, cross-border logistics and defining commodity value for various market niches. Yet, on the other hand, due to constraints resulting from the tensions and positions in the labor-division network, the just-in-time production practice is in an asymmetric relationship to accelerate buyers’ turnover rate at the expense of suppliers’ over production. This story of Taiwanese orchid growers’ participation in the global economy epitomizes the idiosyncrasies of Taiwan’s agricultural globalization in the context of the post-colonial heritages as well as the industrialization development being one of New Industrial Countries. It reveals a hybrid synergy resulting from a historical conjuncture of European and Japanese horticultural colonization and Taiwan’s agricultural restructuring, export-oriented industrialization and upgrading, rather than, as postulated by mainstream theories, an isolated transformation process of a traditional agricultural sector, a mechanical input-output linkage between agricultural and industrial sectors, a cross-sectoral and cross-border integration initiated by giant multinationals, or an integrated process introduced by foreign creditors.
Subjects
蝴蝶蘭
globalization of agriculture
agricultural commodity chain
Phalaenopsis
Taiwan
SDGs
Type
thesis
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