Abstract

Extractivism is a global phenomenon driven by the logic of capitalism that is manifested chiefly in mining, but also in agribusiness. Women around the world have emerged as leaders of resistance movements against extractivism. In this article, we question this recurrent theme in political ecology literature based on ethnographic fieldwork in southern Ecuador, where resistance has been less successful. Dairy farming, introduced as a development strategy by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, relying on extensive farmer debt, has changed communities' livelihoods and added a significant burden to women's lives. Imported Holstein cows require certain types of pasture grass, supplements and a consistent milking routine. When asked to reflect on how their days go by, women can only list an array of caring responsibilities – housework, child and elderly care and rearing animals. Without this continuous caretaking effort, the herd would not be as productive and family enterprises would fail. We first show how agroextractivism is manifested in territorial restructuring, replacing biodiverse horticulture with pasture. Second, we demonstrate how agroextractivism relies on gendered labor dynamics that limit women's political participation and collective agency. Dairy farming is extractivist, consuming women's time, depleting their bodies and impeding them from organizing against gold mining, which receives state concessions. We add evidence to the limited literature on dairy farming as a form of agroextractivism, contributing to the debate on agrarian social reproduction. We question the celebration of women's leadership in environment movements by demonstrating that forms of extractivism intertwined with patriarchal norms eats into women's time, restricting their organization of ecological care against mining.

Keywords: women, social reproduction, time poverty, Ecuador, dairy farming, agro-extractivism

How to Cite:

Torres, K. & Caretta, M., (2026) “When patriarchy and agro-extractivism impede women's political participation and collective agency:  An analysis of Ecuadorian women's time poverty and its implications for ecological care”, Journal of Political Ecology 33(1): 7584. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.7584