Fishing, Foraging and Farming in the Bolivian Amazon On a Local Society in Transition

About this book

Fishing, Foraging and Farming in the Bolivian Amazon analyses the society-nature interaction of the Tsimane', a rural indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon. Following a common methodological framework, the material and energy flow (MEFA) approach, it gives a detailed account of the biophysical exchange relations the community entertains with its natural environment: the socio-economic use of energy, materials, land and time.

Equally so, Fishing, Foraging and Farming in the Bolivian Amazon provides a deeper insight into the local base of sociometabolic transition processes and their inherent dynamics of change. The local community described in this publication stands for the many thousands of rural systems in developing countries that, in light of an ever more globalising world, are currently steering a similar – but maybe differently-paced – development course.

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Tables and Figures

1. Introduction: Setting the Stage
1.1. Introducing Society, Nature and Transitions
1.2. Introducing the MEFA Framework
1.3. Fieldwork among the Tsimane'
1.4. What the Book says
References

2. Sustainability Transitions and the MEFA Toolkit: Concepts and Methods
2.1. Sociometabolic Sustainability Transitions
2.2.The MEFA Framework Toolkit
References

3. Exploring an Indigenous World in the Bolivian Amazon: The Case of the Tsimane'
3.1. The Tsimane' Habitat
3.2. Landscape and Cosmos: Bridging the Natural and the Cultural
3.3. Tsimane' History of Contact
3.4. Settlement and Community Life
References

4. Stocks, Flows and Land Use: The Metabolic Profile of Campo Bello
4.1. The Community Setting
4.2. The Sociometabolic Profile of Campo Bello
References

5. Work, Time and Other Functions
5.1. Introducing and Embedding the Use of Time
5.2. The Collection, Coding and Classification Process
5.3. The Qualitative Order
5.4. The Quantitative Order
5.5. Conclusion: Discussing Opportunities and Time Squeeze
References

6. Comparing Local Transitions Acroos the Developing World
6.1. Introducing SangSaeng, Nalang and Trinket
6.2. Agricultural Intensification and Sociometabolic Regime Transitions
6.3. Biophysical Indicators of Intensification
6.4. Driving Forces for Change
6.5. Conclusion: Lessons from Contemporary Transitions
References

7. Local Visions for a Global Future
7.1. What have we learnt?
References

Index

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