American Anthropologist · 2006 · 34 citations · 22 references
Social SciencesAgricultural EconomicsAgricultural DevelopmentCommunity DevelopmentRural DevelopmentAgrarian ChangeAgrarian Political EconomyAgricultural EcologyAgricultural Household EconomicsPastoralismRural LivelihoodsAgricultural Market DevelopmentCash CroppingCommunity Aspirations AssessmentPhysical Interaction With The EnvironmentPolitical Agency ModelsPolitical Economy Of AgricultureSmallholder FarmersVillage Farming Systems
In this article, I provide an analysis of local decision making surrounding crop commercialization in the Kolli Hills, South India. I argue that in the context of changes in the physical environment, cultivating tapioca (cassava) as a cash crop is a conscious decision made by small farmers based on their perceptions of environmental insecurity. Farmers understand market integration as key to coping with external, uncontrollable changes and to fulfilling household and community aspirations. Decisions to cultivate tapioca have contributed to aspects of community development and increasing political agency on the part of villagers.
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