Women and the privatisation of Samoas coconut oil mill

Abstract

This case study of the privatisation of Samoa's coconut oil mill shows that foreign investment need not be a disempowering experience for women and their families, and explores why this is so. In this case foreign capital is supporting an industry which fits and builds on the traditional smallholder production and use systems, which is a contrast to the more usual pattern of foreign investment featuring an introduced and highly specialised enterprise and requiring a centralised workforce. While Samoa is the focus, this study has wider implications because the coconut is central to every Pacific island economy. Show more