Question

What does Buchanan’s description tell us about his ideas of development? Illustrate your argument by quoting from the excerpts. If you were a Paharia forest dweller, how would you have reacted to these ideas?

Answer 1

1. Buchanan believed that forests should be cleared and the land should be brought under cultivation.
2. He considered settled agriculture more useful and productive than hunting, gathering or shifting cultivation.
3. He believed that development meant increasing agricultural production, trade and government revenue.
4. He also supported the growth of roads, markets and permanent settlements in forest areas.
5. Buchanan often viewed uncultivated forests as wasted land that could be used for farming.
6. If I were a Paharia forest dweller, I would not fully agree with Buchanan’s ideas.
7. The forests provided the Paharias with food, fuel, animals and other resources needed for their livelihood.
8. Clearing the forests would reduce their access to these resources and could disturb their traditional way of life.
9. Permanent settlements and greater government control could also reduce the freedom and independence of the Paharias.

Therefore, Buchanan saw forest clearance and settled farming as development, while a Paharia forest dweller might have seen them as a threat to their livelihood, land and way of life.