DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit Marketing Organic by Default Organic Spice Farmers and a Certification and Marketing Project in the Cardamom Hills of Kerala Verfasser Martin Michalitsch angestrebter akademischer Grad Magister der Philosophie (Mag. phil) Wien, 2011 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 307 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Kutlur- und Sozialanthropologie Betreuerin / Betreuer: Dr. Wolfgang Kraus In deep gratitude to the many people who supported this project, especially: Gertraud Seiser, for her academic advice, Herbert Panholzer, for our lively discussions on language, my parents and Julia Radlingmayer Julia Danzinger Magdalena Recheis Monika Mair Annika Lems Antonia Pont Table of Contents Introduction.........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Introductory Notes.......................................................................................................2 1.2 What Kind of Machine?...............................................................................................3 1.3 Organic by Default......................................................................................................5 1.4 Group Certificates.......................................................................................................7 1.5 Notes on the Fieldwork...............................................................................................8 1.6 Reflections................................................................................................................14 Context: Kerala and the Cardamom Hills........................................................................17 2.1 Some Notes on Kerala..............................................................................................18 2.1.1 The Kerala Model..............................................................................................18 2.1.2 History...............................................................................................................19 2.1.3 People's Participation Today..............................................................................22 2.1.4 Christians in Kerala...........................................................................................25 2.2 More Notes on the Context: Idukki............................................................................28 2.2.1 A Historical Overview.........................................................................................28 2.2.2 Christian Politics................................................................................................32 2.2.3 Tribal Settlements..............................................................................................35 2.3 Summing Up.............................................................................................................38 Five Farmers......................................................................................................................39 3.1 Sebastian..................................................................................................................41 3.1.1 Land History......................................................................................................41 3.1.2 CDS...................................................................................................................42 3.1.3 “Naturally Natural”.............................................................................................43 3.1.4 Construction Work.............................................................................................44 3.1.5 Tourism..............................................................................................................45 3.2 Mutupathi..................................................................................................................48 3.2.1 Cultivation.........................................................................................................48 3.2.2 Selling Products................................................................................................49 3.2.3 Biography..........................................................................................................50 3.2.4 The CDS Farmers' Consortium for Tea..............................................................51 3.3 Renju........................................................................................................................54 3.3.1 Organic Cardamom...........................................................................................54 3.3.2 Renju and CDS Spice........................................................................................56 3.4 Joss..........................................................................................................................59 3.4.1 The Farmers' Group..........................................................................................59 3.4.2 Certificates and Organic by Default...................................................................60 3.4.3 Why Organic?....................................................................................................61 3.4.4 Selling Pepper...................................................................................................62 3.4.5 Different Agencies.............................................................................................62 3.4.6 Government Officers and Stories about Corruption...........................................66 3.4.7 Joss and CDS...................................................................................................67 3.5 Harry.........................................................................................................................69 3.5.1 From Bavaria to India........................................................................................70 3.5.2 Natural Farming.................................................................................................72 3.5.3 Natural Cardamom Farming..............................................................................75 3.5.4 Composting and Energy Input...........................................................................78 3.5.5 CDS and the Market..........................................................................................79 3.6 Comparing the Farmers............................................................................................81 3.6.1 Income, Financial Resources and Life Plans.....................................................81 3.6.2 Different Strategies............................................................................................82 3.6.3 The Motivations to Convert and the Appropriation of Organic Ideas..................84 3.6.4 Different Crops..................................................................................................86 3.6.5 Markets and Marketing......................................................................................87 CDS - A Catholic Development NGO................................................................................89 4.1 CDS Central..............................................................................................................90 4.1.1 Excursus: What is Catholic about CDS?............................................................93 4.1.2 A Broad Organic Vision......................................................................................96 4.1.3 Biotechnology....................................................................................................97 4.1.4 Vermicompost....................................................................................................99 4.1.5 Excursus: Harry vs Sanju - Natural and Scientific Farming..............................101 4.2 CDS Spice..............................................................................................................105 4.2.1 A Development Intervention for Tribals............................................................106 4.2.2 Interacting with Farmers..................................................................................107 4.2.3 Conversion Problems and Organic by Default.................................................111 4.2.4 The Procurement System................................................................................112 4.2.5 Excursus: Fieldnotes on a Rubber Procurement System.................................116 4.2.6 Prices, Premiums and Costs............................................................................117 4.2.7 Excursus: Another Model – Eco-Development and Pepper Marketing.............120 4.2.8 An Orientation on Organic by Default..............................................................125 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................129 5.1 Are these Farmers Peasants?.................................................................................130 5.2 Or are they entrepreneurial Settler-Farmers?.........................................................137 5.3 Peasant Policies and Notions of Critique................................................................142 List of Interviews.............................................................................................................145 References.......................................................................................................................147