IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/indqtr/v80y2024i2p219-235.html

Implications of India’s Act East Policy on the Food Systems and Cultural Heritage of the Konyak Nagas: A Case Study of Sustainable Subsistence and Capitalistic Rationalisation

Author

Listed:
  • Sweta Tiwari

Abstract

This article examines the potential impact of India’s Act East Policy on the food systems of the Konyak Nagas, an indigenous community in Nagaland. The article studies how the traditional knowledge of the Konyak Nagas about the land, labour and ecology has influenced their food culture. The communal landholdings, shifting cultivation, natural preservation of food items, manual labour in agricultural lands and chemical-free fertilisation process have so far kept the Konyaks self-sufficient in terms of requirement of food, and kept the market forces at bay. Emphasising the significance of food security in the changing global scenario in the post-pandemic period and considering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the article explores how Act East Policy’s capitalistic rationalisation of resources may significantly affect their sustainable means of subsistence and appropriate their farms and platters, which are an integral element of the cultural fabric of the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Sweta Tiwari, 2024. "Implications of India’s Act East Policy on the Food Systems and Cultural Heritage of the Konyak Nagas: A Case Study of Sustainable Subsistence and Capitalistic Rationalisation," India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, , vol. 80(2), pages 219-235, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:80:y:2024:i:2:p:219-235
    DOI: 10.1177/09749284241241595
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09749284241241595
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/09749284241241595?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. Béné, Christophe & Oosterveer, Peter & Lamotte, Lea & Brouwer, Inge D. & de Haan, Stef & Prager, Steve D. & Talsma, Elise F. & Khoury, Colin K., 2019. "When food systems meet sustainability – Current narratives and implications for actions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 116-130.
    2. George Liodakis, 2010. "Political Economy, Capitalism and Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 2(8), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Taz (Tonmoy) Barua, 2020. "The Look East Policy/Act East Policy-driven Development Model in Northeast India," Jadavpur Journal of International Relations, , vol. 24(1), pages 101-120, June.
    4. Popkin, Barry M., 1999. "Urbanization, Lifestyle Changes and the Nutrition Transition," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(11), pages 1905-1916, November.
    5. Leach, Melissa & Nisbett, Nicholas & Cabral, Lídia & Harris, Jody & Hossain, Naomi & Thompson, John, 2020. "Food politics and development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    6. Prabhu Pingali & Anaka Aiyar & Mathew Abraham & Andaleeb Rahman, 2019. "Transforming Food Systems for a Rising India," Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-030-14409-8, June.
    7. Mendez, Michelle A. & Popkin, Barry M., 2004. "Globalization, Urbanization and Nutritional Change in the Developing World," eJADE: electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Agricultural and Development Economics Division (ESA), vol. 1(2), pages 1-22.
    8. Mohamed Behnassi & Mahjoub El Haiba, 2022. "Implications of the Russia–Ukraine war for global food security," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(6), pages 754-755, June.
    9. Michelle A. Mendez & Barry M. Popkin, 2004. "Globalization, Urbanization and Nutritional Change in the Developing World," The Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 1(2), pages 220-241.
    10. Jessica Fanzo & Claire Davis, 2021. "Transformations Across Diets and Food Systems," Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy, in: Global Food Systems, Diets, and Nutrition, chapter 0, pages 71-84, Palgrave Macmillan.
    11. Cheryl McEwan & Emma Mawdsley & Glenn Banks & Regina Scheyvens, 2017. "Enrolling the Private Sector in Community Development: Magic Bullet or Sleight of Hand?," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 48(1), pages 28-53, January.
    12. Kalle Hirvonen & John Hoddinott, 2017. "Agricultural production and children's diets: evidence from rural Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(4), pages 469-480, July.
    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. Prabhu Pingali & Mathew Abraham, 2022. "Food systems transformation in Asia – A brief economic history," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(6), pages 895-910, November.
    2. Aiyar, Anaka & Rahman, Andaleeb & Pingali, Prabhu, 2021. "India’s rural transformation and rising obesity burden," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    3. Fanzo, Jessica & Haddad, Lawrence & Schneider, Kate R. & Béné, Christophe & Covic, Namukolo M. & Guarin, Alejandro & Herforth, Anna W. & Herrero, Mario & Sumaila, U. Rashid & Aburto, Nancy J. & Amuyun, 2021. "Viewpoint: Rigorous monitoring is necessary to guide food system transformation in the countdown to the 2030 global goals," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    4. Lara Cockx & Liesbeth Colen & Joachim De Weerdt & Sergio Gomez Y Paloma, 2019. "Urbanization as a driver of changing food demand in Africa: Evidence from rural-urban migration in Tanzania," JRC Research Reports JRC107918, Joint Research Centre.
    5. Pingali, Prabhu, 2007. "Westernization of Asian diets and the transformation of food systems: Implications for research and policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 281-298, June.
    6. Cockx, Lara & De Weerdt, Joachim, 2016. "From Corn to Popcorn? Urbanization and food consumption in Sub-Sahara Africa: Evidence from rural-urban migrants in Tanzania," 2016 Fifth International Conference, September 23-26, 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 249270, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    7. Nawab Khan & Ram L. Ray & Hazem S. Kassem & Sajjad Hussain & Shemei Zhang & Muhammad Khayyam & Muhammad Ihtisham & Simplice A. Asongu, 2021. "Potential Role of Technology Innovation in Transformation of Sustainable Food Systems: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Mottaleb, Khondoker A. & Mishra, Ashok K., 2020. "Income, Urbanization, and Consumption of Processed Foods: Implications for Nutrition and Health Policies for India," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304206, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Amrita Saha & Jody Harris & Nicholas Nisbett & John Thompson, 2024. "Agricultural commercialisation and food consumption: pathways and trade-offs across four African contexts," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(6), pages 1501-1528, December.
    10. Katz-Rosene, Ryan & Heffernan, Andrew & Arora, Anil, 2023. "Protein pluralism and food systems transition: A review of sustainable protein meta-narratives," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    11. Aiyar, Anaka & Dhingra, Sunaina & Pingali, Prabhu, 2021. "Transitioning to an obese India: Demographic and structural determinants of the rapid rise in overweight incidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    12. Cockx, Lara & Colen, Liesbeth & De Weerdt, Joachim, 2018. "From corn to popcorn? Urbanization and dietary change: Evidence from rural-urban migrants in Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 140-159.
    13. Goryakin, Yevgeniy & Suhrcke, Marc, 2014. "Economic development, urbanization, technological change and overweight: What do we learn from 244 Demographic and Health Surveys?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 14(C), pages 109-127.
    14. Purushotham, Anjali & Aiyar, Anaka & von Cramon-Taubadel, Stephan, 2021. "Dietary transition and its relationship with socio-economic status and peri-urban obesity," DARE Discussion Papers 2104, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    15. Loh, Chung-Ping A. & Li, Qiang, 2013. "Peer effects in adolescent bodyweight: Evidence from rural China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 35-44.
    16. Jane Dixon, 2009. "From the imperial to the empty calorie: how nutrition relations underpin food regime transitions," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 26(4), pages 321-333, December.
    17. Ameye, H., 2018. "Secondary Towns The Nutritional Sweet Spot. A study of East Africa," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277211, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Gupta, Soumya & Seth, Payal & Vemireddy, Vidya & Pingali, Prabhu, 2024. "Women’s empowerment and intra-household diet diversity across the urban continuum: Evidence from India’s DHS," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    19. Kilwinger, Fleur & Almekinders, Conny & van Dam, Ynte, 2025. "Contrasting narratives of change? Recent approaches in seed system development," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    20. Derek Headey & David Stifel & Liangzhi You & Zhe Guo, 2018. "Remoteness, urbanization, and child nutrition in sub‐Saharan Africa," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 49(6), pages 765-775, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:sae:indqtr:v:80:y:2024:i:2:p:219-235. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.