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1 Merrey, D. J. 1983. Irrigation, poverty and social change in a village of Pakistani Punjab: an historical and cultural ecological analysis. Thesis, vol. I: part I-IV, vol. II: part V-VI. Dissertation in anthropology presented to the University of Pennsylvania for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. v.1:pp.1-469; v2: pp.470-861.
Irrigation systems ; History ; Irrigation canals ; Villages ; Social structure ; Settlement ; Land ownership ; Tenancy ; Farm size ; Poverty / Pakistan / Punjab / Gujarat / Gondalpur village / Chaj Doab / Lower Jehlum Canal
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: D 631.7.3 G730 MER Record No: H000884)
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The dissertation examines the roots of poverty in rural Pakistan by attempting to explain why there has been little "development" in a village that was a direct "beneficiary" of a large development project, the irrigation system of Punjab. Utilizing both detailed land records and data gathered through standard anthropological techniques, the dissertation analyzes how and why the community changed between 1857 and 1977. In 1857, "Gondalpur" had 67 inhabitants cultivating 64 acres of land, and dependent mainly on cattle for subsistence. By 1901 Gondalpur had nearly 570 inhabitants cultivating over 300 acres and pursuing a mixed cultivation and cattle-raising strategy. A clear division developed between land owners and non-owners, accompanied by a system of exchanges between cultivators and occupational specialists. Over half the land had been acquired by absentee landlords. In 1904, when canal irrigation was introduced, there was a rapid expansion of cultivation, especially cash cropping; an increase in tenancy; and kinship groups called biraderi emerged as important components of the social structure. By 1977 the population reached 1,450, and most land is irrigated and double-cropped. There has been a drastic decline in size of ownership and farm units. After the initial expansion of cultivation, per capita agricultural productivity has declined. Most villagers are quite poor. The community is fragmented by conflict and unable to resist interference from outsiders. The dissertation tries to explain these changes from an historical and cultural ecological perspective. The major factors identified are the irrigation system's design and organization; certain policies of the British government; and the large "fund of rent" siphoned from the community through taxes, rent, and illegal extractions by officials. These and other factors interacted with the community patterns of land tenure and organization and production which had developed before canal irrigation. The result is low productivity, large inequalities in land holding, no investment in improved technologies, and an inability to cooperate on self-help projects. The dissertation concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for cultural ecological theory and the future development of the Indus Basin.
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