Socioecological Transformation and the History of Indian Cotton, Gujarat, Western India

Abstract: Landscape management is often referred to as a holistic concept, which deals with large-scale processes and multidisciplinary manners in regards to natural resource use with ecological and livelihood considerations. Seen in this light, landscape transformation should be understood within the context of the human-nature relationship, viewing human activities and their institutions as an essential part of the system rather than as external agents. When it comes to the landscape planning and management related to cotton farming in Gujarat, there has been diversity of interest groups such as local communities, governments, corporations and non-governmental organisations. In the present study, I examine two case studies of cotton production pertaining to the Gujarat region in order to study the opportunities and challenges faced by local farmers in the process of developing agriculture. In the first case study on Cotton Improvement Program in the nineteenth century, I highlight the socioecological consequences of the colonial cotton project and how it relates to the social dynamics of networks and agricultural landscape management. The second case study examines current debates regarding the social, economic and environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) cotton on India’s social and natural landscape. This thesis emphasises that there are recursive motifs between the two case studies in terms of the local resistances, power relations and possible environmental effects, which can be explained through the state of ‘global core’ and ‘periphery’, and partly the framework of ecologically unequal exchange. The analysis of recurring patterns concludes that exploring the narratives of local experiences offers a number of significant details that show complex power dynamics manifested through constant struggles and resistances by ‘peripheral agent’.