Costs of water conflicts facing pineapple monoculture in Milano, Siquirres

Abstract

This article analyzes the socio-environmental conflict generated by the pineapple industry in Costa Rica, specifically the case of water pollution in Siquirres, from the perspective of political ecology, extractivism, and gender studies. It argues that the Costa Rican state, in its role as promoter of a “green extractivism” model, facilitated the accumulation of capital for transnational corporations at the cost of socio-environmental degradation. The analysis identifies the actors in conflict and shows the mechanisms that allow the costs of pollution to be transferred to communities, falling disproportionately on women. They face a triple burden: increased reproductive labor due to water scarcity, the impacts on their health, and the leadership of community activism in defense of water.