Beyond the Biophysical

by German, Laura; Ramisch, Joshua J.; Verma, Rita

• ISBN13: 9789048188253
• ISBN10: 9048188253
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-06-25
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

"Beyond the Biophysical" provides a broad overview of agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) scholarship and practice that lies beyond the biophysical, emphasizing instead epistemological, cultural, and political foundations of NRM. The volume is oriented toward professionals with expertise in agriculture and natural resource management scholarship and practice, but who lack exposure to the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of critical theory, the anthropology of development, ecological anthropology, and other relevant scholarship. It therefore follows common standards of academic rigour, but minimizes the use of jargon, integrates detailed case studies with conceptual syntheses, and attempts to move from critique to concrete recommendations for scholarship and practice. The volume seeks to foster a more nuanced and responsible engagement with local communities and the natural world among NRM scholars and practitioners.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Contributors	p. xiii
List of Abbreviations	p. xvii
Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, and "Development" Beyond the Biophysical	p. 1
Beyond Biophysical Assumptions
Beyond the Invisible: Finding the Social Relevance of Soil Nutrient Balances in Southern Mali	p. 25
The "Demonization" of Rainforest Migrants, or: What Conservation Means to Poor Colonist Farmers	p. 49
Beyond Biodiversity: Culture in Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation in the Himalayan Foothills	p. 73
Local Knowledge and Scientific Perceptions: Questions of Validity in Environmental Knowledge	p. 99
Power Dynamics at the "Development Interface"
"Opting Out": A Case Study of Smallholder Rejection of Research in Western Kenya	p. 129
Natural Resource Management in an Urban Context: Rethinking the Concepts of "Community" and "Participation" with Street Traders in Durban, South Africa	p. 149
The Deliberative Scientist: Integrating Science and Politics in Forest Resource Governance in Nepal	p. 167
Common Property Regimes: Taking a Closer Look at Resource Access, Authorization, and Legitimacy	p. 193
Institutional Disjunctures and Innovations
Innovative Farmers, Non-adapting Institutions: A Case Study of the Organization of Agroforestry Research in Malawi	p. 217
Framing Participation in Agricultural and Natural Resource Management Research	p. 241
Anthro-Apology? Negotiating Space for Interdisciplinary Collaboration and In-Depth Anthropology in the CGIAR	p. 257
Who Is Fooling Whom? Participation, Power, and Interest in Rural Development	p. 283
Index	p. 295
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