Cash, cattle, and coffee : the cultural ecology of economic development in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the adaptations made by a village population in the highlands of Papua New Guinea to the new environments created in the process of economic development. The perspective of the cultural ecology of economic development. is used to examine the impact of cash-earning activities on the natural environment, the subsistence system, and the structure of social relationships. The analysis of the intricate linkages and feedback relationships within the local system as well as those binding it to the outside world are emphasised in this perspective. The impact on the subsistence system is stressed because resource-use activities provide the link between the human population and the natural environment. The major focus is on the effects of the introduction of smallholder cattle projects. The structure of social relationships in the village has changed significantly. Economic differentiation has increased as cattle project leaders, who use their relatively exclusive links with government agencies to legitimate their control over the projects and the enclosed land,receive a disproportionate share of the revenues. Environmental degradation has also occurred. Overgrazing resulted in weed infestations, an increase in soil bulk density, and accelerated erosion, which reduce the agricultural utility of the land. The enclosure of a large area near the hamlets for the cattle projects has displaced subsistence gardens farther from the village. As a result, the burden o£ harvesting has increased, the quality of garden maintenance has declined, and more gardens are located in the zone of maximum danger from sorcery. In addition, the allocation of much time to constructing cattle projects caused a decline in planting subsistence gardens and a subsequent food shortage, which was exacerbated by the depredations of.the village pigs. The analysis is extended to include the impact of coffee production and other externally-derived activities such as beer drinking and gambling. The allocation of time to these activities decreases labour inputs into the subsistence system. It is concluded that the enthusiastic commitment to cash-related activities in the village reduces the flexibility of the subsistence system, its level of production, and its resilience. As a result, the previous condition of subsistence affluence has changed to one of subsistence malaise. A comparative perspective reveals that the changes occurring in the village are widespread, though not universal; cash-earning activities often have a detrimental effect on the natural environment and the subsistence system, foster greater individualism, and facilitate an increase in economic differentiation. It is concluded that the nature of the linkage between the local system and the external, dominating system is the critical variable in influencing the impact of cash-earning activities on village systems. Show more