IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v39y2022i2d10.1007_s10460-021-10285-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Digesting agriculture development: nutrition-oriented development and the political ecology of rice–body relations in India

Author

Listed:
  • Carly E. Nichols

    (University of Iowa)

Abstract

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) has emerged as a major development paradigm that works to diversify crops and diets throughout the Global South in order to improve nutritional outcomes. Drawing on a conceptual framework from political ecologies of health that looks at political economic factors, social discourse, and embodied, material experiences of food, I analyze qualitative and ethnographic data from an integrated NSA intervention in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, India. The analysis shows that while embodied experiences of differing rice varieties (either indigenous or improved) were central to research participants’ conceptions of bodily health, mainstream NSA metrics had trouble ‘seeing’ these relations in meaningful ways. Moreover, although material experiences of rice cultivation and consumption anchored participants’ rice preferences, structural economic realities along with notions of social identity were always interwoven. Yet, while villagers expressed divergent perceptions around how the different rice cultivars shaped their bodily health, agricultural officers tended to view rice experiences as a product of culture, rather than as material and socio-ecological food-body interactions. In sum, this paper argues more deeply engaging with the political economic, socially symbolic, and embodied ways that communities relate to food production and consumption would allow NSA research to develop more grounded and inclusive understandings of agriculture-nutrition linkages.

Suggested Citation

  • Carly E. Nichols, 2022. "Digesting agriculture development: nutrition-oriented development and the political ecology of rice–body relations in India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 757-771, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10285-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-021-10285-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-021-10285-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-021-10285-z?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karuna Morarji, 2014. "Subjects of Development: Teachers, Parents and Youth Negotiating Education in Rural North India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 26(2), pages 175-189, April.
    2. Fan, Shenggen & Yosef, Sivan & Pandya-Lorch, Rajul, 2019. "Agriculture for improved nutrition: Seizing the momentum," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 9781786399311.
    3. Carly Nichols, 2017. "Millets, milk and maggi: contested processes of the nutrition transition in rural India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(4), pages 871-885, December.
    4. Elizabeth Finnis, 2007. "The political ecology of dietary transitions: Changing production and consumption patterns in the Kolli Hills, India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 24(3), pages 343-353, September.
    5. Nichols, Carly, 2020. "Nutrition sensitive agriculture: An equity-based analysis from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    6. Damman, Siri & Eide, Wenche Barth & Kuhnlein, Harriet V., 2008. "Indigenous peoples' nutrition transition in a right to food perspective," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 135-155, April.
    7. Rachel Bezner Kerr & Sera L. Young & Carrie Young & Marianne V. Santoso & Mufunanji Magalasi & Martin Entz & Esther Lupafya & Laifolo Dakishoni & Vicki Morrone & David Wolfe & Sieglinde S. Snapp, 2019. "Farming for change: developing a participatory curriculum on agroecology, nutrition, climate change and social equity in Malawi and Tanzania," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(3), pages 549-566, September.
    8. Bird, Frances A. & Pradhan, Aliza & Bhavani, R.V. & Dangour, Alan D., 2019. "Interventions in agriculture for nutrition outcomes: A systematic review focused on South Asia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 39-49.
    9. Fan, Shenggen & Yosef, Sivan & Pandya-Lorch, Rajul, 2019. "Agriculture for improved nutrition: Seizing the momentum: Synopsis," IFPRI synopses 978-0-89629-599-5, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    10. Basu, Tirthankar & Das, Arijit, 2020. "Identification of backward district in India by applying the principal component analysis and fuzzy approach: A census based study," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    11. Nyantakyi-Frimpong, Hanson & Mambulu, Faith Nankasa & Bezner Kerr, Rachel & Luginaah, Isaac & Lupafya, Esther, 2016. "Agroecology and sustainable food systems: Participatory research to improve food security among HIV-affected households in northern Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 89-99.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Junuthula, Shirisha & Kumari, Veenita & Srinivasan, Chittur, 2023. "Identification of Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) Knowledge Gaps in the Integration of Nutrition into Training by Agricultural Extension Advisory Services (EAS) Providers in India," 97th Annual Conference, March 27-29, 2023, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 334565, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.

    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. Carly Nichols & Halie Kampman & Mara Bold, 2022. "Forging just dietary futures: bringing mainstream and critical nutrition into conversation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 633-644, June.
    2. Hiroyuki Takeshima & Kamiljon Akramov & Allen Park & Jarilkasin Ilyasov & Yanyan Liu & Tanzila Ergasheva, 2020. "Agriculture–nutrition linkages with heterogeneous, unobserved returns and costs: Insights from Tajikistan," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(4), pages 553-565, July.
    3. David Meek, 2022. "From marginalized to miracle: critical bioregionalism, jungle farming and the move to millets in Karnataka, India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 871-883, September.
    4. Hiroyuki Takeshima & Kamiljon Akramov & Allen Park & Jarilkasin Ilyasov & Tanzila Ergasheva, 2022. "Agriculture-Nutrition Linkages, Cooking-Time, Intrahousehold Equality Among Women and Children: Evidence from Tajikistan," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(2), pages 940-977, April.
    5. Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Kangmennaang, Joseph & Bezner Kerr, Rachel & Lupafya, Esther & Dakishoni, Laifolo & Luginaah, Isaac, 2021. "Agroecology and household production diversity and dietary diversity: Evidence from a five-year agroecological intervention in rural Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    6. Hiroyuki Takeshima & Bedru B. Balana & Jenny Smart & Hyacinth O. Edeh & Motunrayo Ayowumi Oyeyemi & Kwaw S. Andam, 2022. "Subnational public expenditures, short‐term household‐level welfare, and economic flexibility: Evidence from Nigeria," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(5), pages 739-755, September.
    7. Iyer, Deepa & Wright, Wynne, 2016. "Food insecurity, helplessness, and choice: Gender and diet change in the central Himalaya," Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security (Agri-Gender), Africa Centre for Gender, Social Research and Impact Assessment, vol. 1(3), pages 1-22.
    8. Lam, Steven & Dodd, Warren & Wyngaarden, Sara & Skinner, Kelly & Papadopoulos, Andrew & Harper, Sherilee L., 2021. "How and why are Theory of Change and Realist Evaluation used in food security contexts? A scoping review," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    9. Stoddard, Pamela & Handley, Margaret A. & Vargas Bustamante, Arturo & Schillinger, Dean, 2011. "The influence of indigenous status and community indigenous composition on obesity and diabetes among Mexican adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(11), pages 1635-1643.
    10. Kenny, Tiff-Annie & Fillion, Myriam & MacLean, Jullian & Wesche, Sonia D. & Chan, Hing Man, 2018. "Calories are cheap, nutrients are expensive – The challenge of healthy living in Arctic communities," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 39-54.
    11. Constanza Gonzalez Parrao & Marta Moratti & Shannon Shisler & Birte Snilstveit & John Eyers, 2021. "PROTOCOL: Aquaculture for improving productivity, income, nutrition and women's empowerment in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review and meta‐analysis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(3), September.
    12. Junuthula, Shirisha & Kumari, Veenita & Srinivasan, Chittur, 2023. "Identification of Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) Knowledge Gaps in the Integration of Nutrition into Training by Agricultural Extension Advisory Services (EAS) Providers in India," 97th Annual Conference, March 27-29, 2023, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 334565, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.
    13. Piya, L. & Joshi, N.P., 2018. "Food basket of a highly marginalized indigenous community in the mid-hills of Nepal: Transition and responsible factors," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277071, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Ravi, S.B. & Hrideek, T.K. & Kumar, A.T.K. & Prabhakaran, T.R. & Mal, B. & Padulosi, S., 2010. "Mobilizing Neglected and Underutilized Crops to Strengthen Food Security and Alleviate Poverty in India," MPRA Paper 43094, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Elizabeth Eldridge & Marie-Eve Rancourt & Ann Langley & Dani Héroux, 2022. "Expanding Perspectives on the Poverty Trap for Smallholder Farmers in Tanzania: The Role of Rural Input Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-34, April.
    16. Kathrine E. Wright & Julie E. Lucero & Jenanne K. Ferguson & Michelle L. Granner & Paul G. Devereux & Jennifer L. Pearson & Eric Crosbie, 2021. "The impact that cultural food security has on identity and well-being in the second-generation U.S. American minority college students," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 701-715, June.
    17. Ravi, S.B. & Hrideek, T.K. & Kumar, A.T.K. & Prabhakaran, T.R. & Mal, B. & Padulosi, S., 2010. "Mobilizing Neglected and Underutilized Crops to Strengthen Food Security and Alleviate Poverty in India," MPRA Paper 43037, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Shah, Priya & Dhir, Amandeep & Joshi, Rohit & Tripathy, Naliniprava, 2023. "Opportunities and challenges in food entrepreneurship: In-depth qualitative investigation of millet entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    19. Ravi, S.B. & Hrideek, T.K. & Kumar, A.T.K. & Prabhakaran, T.R. & Mal, B. & Padulosi, S., 2010. "Mobilizing neglected and underutilized crops to strengthen food security and alleviate poverty in india," MPRA Paper 37492, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Sarah E. Castle & Daniel C. Miller & Pablo J. Ordonez & Kathy Baylis & Karl Hughes, 2021. "The impacts of agroforestry interventions on agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, and human well‐being in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(2), June.

    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:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10285-z. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.