24 Questions
What is the name of the local democratic collectives of farmers in each rice terrace?
Subak
The Green Revolution in the 1970s encouraged farmers to continue their traditional spiritual beliefs and rituals.
False
What was the unintended consequence of forcing farmers to abandon their traditional farming practices?
Insects overwhelmed the crops
The farmers would perform elaborate multiday rituals before planting, which involved a pilgrimage to the ______________________ lake.
crater
What was the benefit of the traditional farming practices in terms of pest control?
Flooding of fallow land, which helped control pests
The farmers returned to their traditional farming practices in the late 1970s.
False
Match the following terms with their descriptions:
Subak = Local democratic collectives of farmers Green Revolution = Introduction of new farming methods in the 1970s Rituals = Elaborate multiday ceremonies before planting Fallow land = Land that is not currently being used for crops
What led to policy interventions that did more harm than good in this example?
Insufficient understanding of local customs and cultural context
What is the relation between historical experience with colonial medical campaigns and the success of contemporary foreign medical interventions?
Places with more visits in the past have less successful medical interventions today.
The adverse effects of colonial medical campaigns have spilled into other forms of foreign aid.
False
What is the significance of understanding the historical and current cultural context of a location in implementing foreign medical interventions?
It helps to make the behavior of the local population understandable and identifies the need for significant outreach, communication, and sensitivity to past experiences with Western medicine.
The book 'Priests and Programmers' by J. Stephen Lansing (1991) describes the Hindu-based belief system in _______________ called Agama Tirtha.
Bali
Match the following components of the Agama Tirtha system with their descriptions:
Water = Viewed as holy Temple system = Elaborate hierarchical system of temples Water goddess = Dewi Danu Irrigation system = Complex system that brings water to fields for wet rice cultivation
The Neolithic Revolution is a significant event in the history of agriculture.
True
What is the primary factor that influences the success of agricultural innovations?
Local culture and context
What is the significance of understanding local culture and context in implementing agricultural policies?
It helps to design policies that are sensitive to the beliefs and values of the local population, leading to more effective and sustainable agricultural practices.
What is the main argument of Diamond (1997) regarding the roots of comparative development?
Environmental advantages in Eurasia
The Neolithic Revolution occurred around 1000 BC.
False
What facilitated the spread of agricultural innovations in Eurasia?
The East–West orientation of the continent
The size of the landmass in millions of sq km is one of the variables used in the first principal component of _______________________.
climate suitability to agriculture
Which of the following is NOT one of the geographic advantages of Eurasia mentioned in the text?
Island location
Match the authors with their publication years:
Olsson and Hibbs = 2005 Diamond = 1997 Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson = 2001, 2002 Easterly and Levine = 2003
The Neolithic Revolution led to a population decline in Eurasia.
False
What is the approximate time period when humans transitioned from a hunter-gatherer economy to agricultural and pastoral production in Eurasia?
Around 10,000 BC
Study Notes
Rice Terraces in Bali
- Farmers in Bali are organized into local democratic collectives called subak, which coordinate planting and perform elaborate rituals before planting.
- These rituals involve a pilgrimage to the crater lake, followed by rituals at regional water temples, village temples, and finally in the fields themselves.
- This coordinated planting helps control pest populations, as all land within an area is fallow at the same time, and for spiritual reasons, fallow land is flooded, which helps kill off insects.
The Green Revolution in Bali
- In the mid-1970s, the Green Revolution was introduced to Bali, encouraging farmers to abandon traditional practices and adopt new methods to increase yields.
- As part of this, farmers were forced to decouple their planting decisions from spiritual rituals, leading to crops being consistently overwhelmed with insects.
- The abandonment of traditional practices led to inferior farming practices, causing harm to the environment and the farmers.
Importance of Understanding Local Culture and Context
- Insufficient understanding of local customs and cultural context can lead to policy interventions that do more harm than good.
- The historical experience with colonial medical campaigns is associated with the success of contemporary foreign medical interventions.
- Places with more visits in the past are also the places where medical interventions are less successful today.
- Refusal rates for blood tests and vaccines are higher in locations that experienced more colonial medical campaigns historically.
Agricultural Policies and Local Culture
- The book Priests and Programmers by J. Stephen Lansing (1991) documents the importance of local culture and context within agriculture.
- The Hindu-based belief system in Bali, Agama Tirtha, views water as holy and features an elaborate hierarchical system of temples that manage irrigation for wet rice cultivation.
- Water originates from a volcanic crater lake, where the water goddess, Dewi Danu, lives.
- Understanding local culture and context is essential for successful agricultural policies and interventions.
This quiz explores the traditional farming practices of the subak system in rice terraces, where local collectives coordinate planting using religious calendars and rituals. It also touches on the impact of the Green Revolution.
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