Doctoral Dissertation Research: Maize and the Food Landscape of Southern Zambia

博士论文研究：玉米和赞比亚南部的食物景观

• 批准号: 0703358
• 负责人: Elizabeth Dunn
• 金额: $ 1.19万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-07-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0703358&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Maize; Food

In rural southern Zambia, maize serves as the primary income generator and staple food for the population. It occupies a central place in both the national and household level politics of economic growth and food security. As a result, its distribution across the population of southern Zambia is dictated by both agricultural policies and local cultural practices of food sharing, gift giving, and other non-market exchange systems. Despite its importance, the relationship between political-economic change and culturally mediated systems of food production and distribution has been under-explored. This doctoral dissertation research project examines the relationship between political-economic change in Zambia's agricultural sector and culturally mediated systems of maize production and distribution in southern Zambia. A transition to neoliberal agricultural policies in Zambia has dramatically altered the ways in which people engage in non-market, culturally mediated forms of maize distribution and production. This change has important implications for household level and individual food security in the region. This research asks the following questions: (1) How has a neo-liberal maize market affected the processes of maize production, distribution, and consumption for people in rural southern Zambia? (2) How has differential access to maize in an era of neo-liberalism changed the ways in which people attempt to cope with food insecurity in the region? Archival research of agricultural policy documents, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with rural household members will provide data on the changing patterns of culturally mediated systems of maize production, distribution, and consumption in rural southern Zambia within the context of neoliberal reform. The investigators expect to demonstrate that as a result of market liberalization, the value of maize for some segments of society has become increasingly embedded in non-market systems of valuation. They also expect to show how non-market systems of distribution have been differentially mediated by market forces across the population, creating a landscape of unequal access to maize in southern Zambia. This research project will investigate how a global process like neoliberal economic restructuring affects local household food security. Foods offer a powerful lens into questions about the relationship between places and the spaces created by a neoliberal ideology. Across the globe, foods act as important objects around which societies are organized politically, economically, and culturally. This research opens up the field of food security studies to analyze the link between political-economic structural change and culturally mediated practice through the lens of a particular food. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.

在赞比亚南部农村，玉米是人们的主要收入来源和主食。它在国家和家庭层面的经济增长和粮食安全政治中占据着核心地位。因此，它在赞比亚南部人口中的分布是由农业政策和当地食物共享、礼物赠送和其他非市场交换系统的文化习俗决定的。尽管政治经济变革与文化介导的粮食生产和分配系统之间的关系很重要，但尚未得到充分探讨。该博士论文研究项目研究了赞比亚农业部门的政治经济变化与赞比亚南部玉米生产和分配的文化介导体系之间的关系。赞比亚向新自由主义农业政策的过渡极大地改变了人们参与非市场、文化介导形式的玉米分配和生产的方式。这一变化对该地区的家庭水平和个人粮食安全具有重要影响。本研究提出以下问题：（1）新自由主义玉米市场如何影响赞比亚南部农村地区人们的玉米生产、分配和消费过程？ (2) 新自由主义时代获取玉米的差异性如何改变了人们应对该地区粮食不安全的方式？ 对农业政策文件的档案研究、参与观察以及对农村家庭成员的半结构化访谈将提供新自由主义改革背景下赞比亚南部农村地区文化介导的玉米生产、分配和消费体系变化模式的数据。调查人员希望证明，由于市场自由化，玉米对社会某些阶层的价值已越来越多地嵌入非市场估价体系中。他们还希望展示非市场分配系统如何受到人口中市场力量的差异调节，从而在赞比亚南部造成玉米获取机会不平等的局面。该研究项目将调查新自由主义经济重组等全球进程如何影响当地家庭粮食安全。食物为人们探究新自由主义意识形态所创造的场所和空间之间的关系提供了有力的视角。在全球范围内，食品是社会在政治、经济和文化上组织起来的重要对象。这项研究开辟了粮食安全研究领域，通过特定食品的视角来分析政治经济结构变化与文化介导的实践之间的联系。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将为有前途的学生建立强大的独立研究生涯提供支持。