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Viewing report
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'Rice is a Jealous Crop'. Edition No. 1
VDM Publishing House, Nov 2010, Pages: 220
This book is a result of ethnographic work in Nampologoma, a rural village in Eastern Uganda. It analyses the social, cultural and moral changes brought about by the development of rice cultivation that started in the area in the 1980s. It provides an in-depth understanding of the intricacies accompanying the transformation of a rural subsistence economy to a market economy. Its anthropological approach goes beyond the usual way of looking at food in terms of supply and demand, or in terms of rights and entitlements. It rather focuses on the importance of the socio-cultural context in which food is produced and consumed. The higher reliance on money has not necessarily led to individualisation and evasion of social links. But the increase in availability and reliance on money has led to new types of social relations, like those based on credit or hiring labour. It avoids the pitfall of moral judgement, but draws a balanced picture of the benefits and losses of different social actors and of the way changes are morally framed and perceived. The book is raises important policy issues relating to Decentralisation, Agriculture Modernisation and Poverty Eradication plans.
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