Foraging as a Subsistence Way of Life - Research Paper Example

Final Cultural Research Paper Introduction It is evident that every society has a distinctive way of life; this is because of its cultural values, environmental, political, economical factors etc. The zulu tribe is a good example of diversity. They have a rich culture, well established political structures and chains o command but they mainly relied on foraging for their livelihood. Hunters were in the community too in order to supplement the food gathered by the gatherers. Foragers Foraging is a subsistence way of life. The practice is very common, as anthropology and archeology has found out over the years. Development has led society to modified modern foragers who supplement their gathering and hunting with wages, trade, horticulture agriculture and many more forms of survival. Gatherers are becoming extinct in some cultures. However, in other cultures, gatherers remain relevant. For instance, the Mikea of Madagascar is a famous group of foragers. Foragers have different kinds of relationship with their environment than most of other societies. A good example is the Zulu tribe. They interrelate well among themselves and spend most of their leisure time together in conversations, listening to music and dances (Haviland, 2009). Among the Zulu, women are the primary gatherers who gather fruits and can at times kill small animals for food. They live in small groups, determined by availability of food. They do not believe in material wealth, but most of animals they keep are for purposes of food. They live their life in the present, and they never worry of what they do not have. They live in temporary homes that could be made of wood or other material gathered. The group believes that by sharing they expect nothing in return. Values and belief diversity differs from one group of gatherers to the other but this could be due to time, ethnicity, and pattern of their cultural behavior (Leonard, 2010). The zulu have well established political systems. They were governed by a powerful king called shaka. The king had an army that was responsible for protecting the tribe from any likely aggressors. For instance, Shaka’s army fought against British rule during the scramble and partition of Africa. The kingdom was established in the early 1800s and it was as a result of the union of the various clans thereby forming a powerful kingdom (Axel-Ivar, 1976). Horticulturalists Horticulture is the science of cultivation of plants. It includes the use of seedlings to produce plants. Economically viable countries show a high potential of a variety of farming activities. The Zulu, like most of the other Bantus, practice some farming. Cultural Impact on Horticultural Farming The culture of people can determine important aspects. Culture can determine the kind of farming activities exercised and practiced by the farmers. It, in particular, concerns issues related to the richness that is a kind of relationship with disposable income. This, in the end, implies that the rich will afford to buy leisure products. The dependency level of rich individuals is very different from that of the poor ones. This means that they can always afford what they want at any particular time. Various beliefs and values find their ways in to the farming industry. There is the perception that a horticulturalist attacked by the evil spirit is not the norm. The same case applies to the plague that could attack the general community. Not all acts of ill intention existed. This is because of the kind of happiness and freedom experienced by the farmer in their normal course of business. Social Change Impact Educational trend is one of the most phenomenal contributions of horticultural farming to the locals. The skill acquired through farming shows a lot in the context of development of the intellectual capability of locals. This is very common in issues related to problem solving. Political Organization The most critical aspect of the related horticultural industry is the political organization. This makes a lot of sense in terms of governance, leadership and issues of equitable development. The presence of administrative taxes and issues related to factors that assist production. Subsidy programs can be of key benefits to farmers if introduced. This will lower the production cost of food. This will in turn assist the farmers to supply goods to the market at very affordable prices. The government can support various programs to the advantage of the farming practice. Pastoralists Pastoralists represent the industry of rearing and breeding animals. It is the animal husbandry rather than the usual growing of crops. A lot of emphasis involves the idea of settling nomadic pastoralists in respective countries. Nomadic activity results in many wasted resource activities. This is due to the perception that a pastoralist is engaged in a primitive way of living. International organizations and donors concentrate quite a lot on funding of this activity. Argument emanates from the economic view that major financial organizations, like the World Bank, USAID and other donors, concentrate their efforts on funding pastoral communities in all corners of the world. Various religious institutions, such as churches, for instance, assist communities that exercise this type of animal husbandry. A lot of relief food is ought to be in adequate supply in those regions. Individual ranches provide another contribution exercised by the government. It involves the development of grazing areas to ensure that resources availability provides a good maintenance ground at a central point of the ranch. National government is another body that provides assistance. It provides various taxation programs, control and security of the border-to-border movements (Fratkin & Roth, 2005). The benefit of pastoralist farming is an important aspect of the large-scale entrepreneurship. This allows a lot of trading to the local people that will, in turn, create employment. Political Influence Pastoralist farming influences the political climate through various ways. This is sometimes a conflict-related issue because of political leadership. Conflicts of interest arise among the rearing communities. Where a land ownership conflict arises, different kinds of scenarios can unfold. This is especially so in cases where the boundaries concern is not well demarcated. The reason behind this boundary issues stems from the political governance of a particular region. This creates conflicts of interest and the concerned stakeholders may engage in tribal conflicts leading to war. Cattle’s rustling is another politically motivated issue. There is a high possibility of cattle’s rustling due to weak border points and the bandits may attack a certain region to steal the animals. The presence of a weak governing structure will make the region susceptible to cattle rustler. The main issue with theft is the loss of livestock which is in many cases the main measure of wealth among these communities. However, there is also wanton loss of life due to the violence that happens when the community tries to resist the theft. Raids make the locals resort to arming themselves and this ultimately contributes to instability in the society. Economic Organization Pastoralists view livestock as their measure of wealth. It is often the only economic activity that they practice. Nomadic pastoralists’ life does not allow good crop farming. It involves the idea of moving with animals searching for green pastures. The community relies on the livestock for virtually everything, from food to transportation and other uses that they find for their livestock. On top of this, the farmers engage in other separate business of trade in the course of farming. This trade may involve the animal products, like skin, wool, milk and leather. The idea is to perform a barter trade system where the animal products will become the subject of trade. The exchange received in return will include crops and other commodities, like plastic containers etc. Sickness and Healing Drought and famine is a major problem faced by pastoralists. The nature of moving in search of pasture and water for the animals makes them susceptible to diseases, like anthrax and foot and mouth diseases. The zulu relied on herbs and traditional healers to treat and prevent these maladies. Often, Zulus invoked spirits in order to receive direction on healing so sicknesses and disease. Emerging Technologies Alternative opportunities, which can be harnessed to improve the livelihoods of this community, especially by increasing the food security, exist. It involves the revitalizing of various traditional ways that will provide modern development. The alternative farming at this level will involve issues of organic farming. This situation involves a biological measure integrated in order to produce calamity resistant varieties. This innovation can provide a good change that is efficient in the overall production. Issues of antibiotics will no longer exist. The emerging trend provides an adequate elimination program under which life without antibiotics won’t be a threat. A great contribution by this technological advancement is the promotion of sales made to the direct account of the customers. This, in turn, implies that customers will rely on food supply directly from the producer not depending upon intermediaries, like transporters and processors. There is also the possibility of consumption of unprocessed foodstuff. Economic Organization in this particular case involves a variety of issues. The government may support the production of emerging products. This involves issues like government subsidies on organic food. The government in doing so will be conversing nature, since organic product is an environment friendly mechanism in terms of resource conservation. The government can also intervene in the production of organic food products. This will involve issues like price supports, production adjustments and marketing orders. These programs will ensure the welfare of the customers. Industrialists The industrialist is the individual involved in an undertaking of a large industrial business. A significant part of the business involves large capital outlay, and this means that the activity of the management involvement is complex. Many economic advantages are available for the large-scale industrial activity. Thus, big profit is possible. The social aspect of an industrialist is the creation of employment opportunities. This is due to the large-scale industrial growth. The living standards of the entire area working in these industries will be high. Many activities involve the engagement of various investment opportunities. This will involve mining, farming and retail trade. It is what creates employment opportunities for the local population (Crouzet, 2008). Agrarian States Agrarian societies depend solely on agriculture production as their only means to survival. A lot of usage and importance can be attached to farming. Observations reveal farming as a socio-economic behavior that mostly advocate for an improved way of living. There is the economic policy development through the economic benefits of farming. A lot of freedom enjoyable in the process of agrarian farming provides many benefits to the social life of an individual. Power and money will come through this process (Leonard, 2010). Agrarian states enjoy many benefits in the form of tax reforms, land reforms and other market support measures that provide economic benefits to the state. Social change Agrarian reform will influence the social policy in the state. The government introduces agrarian reforms that will break large farms into small-scale farming. This provides equitable proportions, which ensures that every homestead enjoys ample access to food production. References Axel-Ivar, B. (1976). Zulu thought-patterns and symbolism. New York: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. Crouzet, F. (2008). The first industrialists: The problem of origins. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Haviland, W.A., et al. (2009). The essence of anthropology. Washington D.C: Cengage Learning. Leonard, C.S. (2010). Agrarian reform in Russia: The road from serfdom. New York: Cambridge University Press Young, T. (2003). Readings in African politics. United Kingdom: Indiana University Press. Read More