We are as Flexible as Rubber!: Livelihood Strategies, Diversity and the Local Institutional Setting of Rubber Small Holders in Kerala, South India

We are as Flexible as Rubber!: Livelihood Strategies, Diversity and the Local Institutional Setting of Rubber Small Holders in Kerala, South India

By- Balz Strasser


Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Indian natural rubber sector has been affected by trends toward trade liberalization, a reduced role of the State, and organizational reforms. Rubber cultivators in Kerala - around 1 million holders cultivating an average 0.5 ha of rubber plantation - have been affected by these processes in different ways. It is hypothesized that growers - especially the ones located in agro-ecologically marginal rubber areas- are coping with these changes with diversified income-generating strategies. This book suggests a new perspective on these coping processes with the development of a typology of rubber growers based on their income-generating strategies. The book shows that the different types of holdings have specific management strategies and ways of dealing with risks. Furthermore, there is evidence that specific local institutions and organizations can hinder and/or support the income generation of these different types of holdings.




Balz Strasser is an agro-economist combining scientific knowledge with hands-on experience on farming systems, market development and policy frameworks for improving rural livelihoods in developing countries. This book is based on his PhD thesis written at the Human Geography Department of the University of Zurich. Since 2008 he is working as Managing Director of Pakka Trade in Switzerland.




ISBN  978-81-7304-803-6    2009   276p.   Rs.695/ pounds 50

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