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

在赞比亚南部农村，玉米是主要的收入来源和居民的主食。它在国家和家庭一级的经济增长和粮食安全政策中占有中心地位。因此，它在赞比亚南部人口中的分布受到农业政策和当地食物分享、礼物赠送和其他非市场交换系统的文化习俗的支配。政治经济变革与以文化为中介的粮食生产和分配系统之间的关系尽管重要，但却未得到充分探讨。本博士论文研究项目探讨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系统之间的关系。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、文化调解形式的玉米分配和生产的方式。这一变化对该区域家庭一级和个人粮食安全具有重要影响。本研究提出了以下问题：（1）新自由主义玉米市场如何影响赞比亚南部农村居民的玉米生产、分配和消费过程？ (2)在新自由主义时代，玉米的差别化获取如何改变了人们试图科普本区域粮食不安全的方式？ 农业政策文件的档案研究，参与观察，并与农村家庭成员的半结构化访谈将提供数据的变化模式的文化介导的玉米生产，分配和消费系统在赞比亚南部农村的新自由主义改革的背景下。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越来越多地嵌入非市场估价体系。他们还希望展示非市场分配系统如何在整个人口中受到市场力量的不同调节，从而在赞比亚南部创造了获得玉米机会不平等的局面。该研究项目将调查新自由主义经济结构调整等全球进程如何影响当地家庭的粮食安全。食物提供了一个强有力的透镜，让我们可以探讨新自由主义意识形态所创造的地方和空间之间的关系。在地球仪上，食物是社会在政治、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的领域，通过特定食物的透镜分析政治经济结构变化和文化介导的实践之间的联系。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。

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.