IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ecanth/v8y2021i2p287-299.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dependent convenience: Migration, agrarian change, and socioecological sustainability in Dakshinkali, Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Pearly Wong

Abstract

Rural transformation in Nepal is characterized by accelerating out‐migration, along with shifting aspirations for becoming “developed” or “modern,” which are associated with urban and foreign infrastructure and consumption. In this context, I examine how convenience practices and technologies interact with the social processes of migration and how they together impact people's life choices and produce socioenvironmental and health consequences. Using the term dependent convenience, I argue that “dependency” and “convenience” are two sides of the same coin. Dependent convenience operates by (a) shifting tastes and norms across generations, (b) perpetuating reliance on labor out‐migration and undermining subsistence production, and (c) producing new environmental and health consequences, the resolution of which is in turn dependent on a range of other yet‐to‐be‐developed supporting infrastructure. The study shows that the development of market economy and convenience technologies drives entangled, path‐dependent processes that ultimately undermine socioenvironmental sustainability. A focus on convenience offers a new perspective to illustrate the entanglement of social, economic, technological, and ecological processes in rural Nepal. The study aims to validate or reaffirm the necessity of grassroots interventions for reorienting development toward meaningfully addressing local needs and sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Pearly Wong, 2021. "Dependent convenience: Migration, agrarian change, and socioecological sustainability in Dakshinkali, Nepal," Economic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(2), pages 287-299, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecanth:v:8:y:2021:i:2:p:287-299
    DOI: 10.1002/sea2.12210
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sea2.12210
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sea2.12210?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2013. "Solid Waste Management in Nepal: Current Status and Policy Recommendations," ADB Reports RPT135798, Asian Development Bank (ADB), revised 16 Dec 2013.
    2. Dinesh Paudel, 2016. "The Double Life of Development: Empowerment, USAID and the Maoist Uprising in Nepal," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(5), pages 1025-1050, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. World Bank, 2021. "Nepal," World Bank Publications - Reports 35500, The World Bank Group.
    2. Yubraj Dahal & Bijay Thapa & Nawa Raj Khatiwada, 2020. "Recovery Potential and Feasibility of Composting and Recycling Incorporated Waste Management System in Nepal: A Case Study of Eight Municipalities," Journal of Development Innovations, KarmaQuest International, vol. 4(1), pages 89-98, July.
    3. Shankar Shrestha & Monica Maharjan & Nawa Raj Khatiwada & Bijay Thapa, 2020. "Leachate Characterization and Management at Sisdol Landfill Site in Nepal," Journal of Development Innovations, KarmaQuest International, vol. 4(1), pages 119-132, July.
    4. Sunil Prasad Lohani & Martina Keitsch & Siddhartha Shakya & David Fulford, 2021. "Waste to energy in Kathmandu Nepal—A way toward achieving sustainable development goals," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 906-914, September.
    5. Rajesh Kumar Rai & Mani Nepal & Madan Singh Khadayat & Bishal Bhardwaj, 2019. "Improving Municipal Solid Waste Collection Services in Developing Countries: A Case of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, May.
    6. S. Khana & S. Mishra & L. Dhakal, 2020. "Performance Of Manure Derived From Kitchen Wastes Using Effective M icroorganisms (EM) And Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) Technology On Growth And Yield Parameters Of Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus L.)," Journal of Wastes and Biomass Management (JWBM), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 2(1), pages 19-23:2, August.
    7. Sajid, Muhammad & Raheem, Abdul & Ullah, Naeem & Asim, Muhammad & Ur Rehman, Muhammad Saif & Ali, Nisar, 2022. "Gasification of municipal solid waste: Progress, challenges, and prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    8. World Bank, 2021. "Technical Guidance Report," World Bank Publications - Reports 35498, The World Bank Group.
    9. Bipasyana Dhungana & Sunil Prasad Lohani & Michael Marsolek, 2022. "Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste with Livestock Manure at Ambient Temperature: A Biogas Based Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-16, March.
    10. repec:eco:journ2:2017-04-11 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Mani Nepal & Apsara Karki Nepal & Madan S. Khadayat & Rajesh K. Rai & Priya Shyamsundar & E. Somanathan, 2023. "Low-Cost Strategies to Improve Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Nepal," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(3), pages 729-752, March.
    12. Bohara Bikash & Masaru Ichihashi, 2022. "Household Preferences for Improved Solid Waste Management (SWM) Services: A Randomized Conjoint Analysis in Kathmandu Metropolitan Ward No. 10," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ecanth:v:8:y:2021:i:2:p:287-299. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=2330-4847 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.