Project
Everyday political economies in Northeast India
The everyday social and political dynamics of agricultural markets remain poorly understood in upland areas of India. This is in part because the diversity and complexity of market forms, practices and relations remain little-studied in the uplands. This project explores the implications of emerging agricultural markets for rural livelihoods and land use patterns in upland Northeast India.
The project will develop a novel, multi-actor approach to assess the relationship between everyday market engagements and longer term patterns of agrarian structural transformation. The recent wave of farmer protest and political mobilisations demonstrates the highly contested nature of agricultural markets in India. The project therefore addresses a critical question at a time of rapid rural transformation: what role should markets play in rural upland futures?
Insights from the multi-actor approach will be synthesised to produce policy relevant knowledge to support transformative outcomes for those whose everyday lives depend on agriculture.
The project activities have so far included:
- Pilot qualitative study (2022)
- Baseline household survey in two case study villages in Mizoram (2023)