Growing Relations: An ethnographic study on rice, vanilla, and yams in Madagascar
Abstract
I examine the various ways in which the rice, wild yams, and vanilla that grow in northern Madagascar feature in the lives of numerous people including rural community members, representatives of the Malagasy government, and foreigners, focusing especially on the distinctive networks of relationships entailed by each of these plants. Each case presents interesting dilemmas from which we can gain insight into the everyday lives and hardships faced by rural Malagasy. Rice is a staple crop which both feeds and employs many Malagasy. More importantly it is at the base of everyday life, sustaining and creating important social ties. Wild yams are a famine food which are largely foraged by food-insecure communities. Foreign investment in protecting this plant, along with other species and landscapes, has alienated those who rely most on it. Vanilla is an economically valuable cash crop, similar in some ways to gemstones or precious minerals, requiring producers to invest substantial time and effort in a commodity prone to significant swings market value. Producing vanilla connects rural communities to global markets, allowing for a greater flow of cash to vanilla producers, but also requiring farmers to navigate many risks. Looking at the similarities and differences among vanilla, rice, and yams, I detail the insights that can come from considering these cases alongside one another. In considering multiple perspectives and drawing from various bodies of knowledge, I explore the dynamics of these plants and the people who value them. I argue that as people invest in relations with these plants, they also enter into a network of relations with others.