| This research investigates the economics and ecology of the Irapa-Yukpa Indians of western Venezuela. These Amerindians cash-crop coffee as a complement to subsistence agriculture and wild food procurement. The involvement of the Irapa-Yukpa in coffee cultivation affects environmental, socioeconomic and dietary changes.; The theoretical framework of cultural ecology orients the research. Arguments are presented for an applied cultural ecology that investigates (1) the community-level changes due to the incorporation of once autonomous communities into regional economies and (2) the cultural institutions (economic, political, social) that locally implement state development policy. In the present study, an indigenous cooperative, supported by Venezuelan agricultural policy, reinforces household cultivation of coffee. Local market conditions, however, restrict the cooperative's effectiveness.; At the community level, the research indicates that coffee, while beneficial for the local environment and only minimally disruptive of traditional economic scheduling, does not increase household dietary well-being. Moreover, coffee cultivation strains traditional exchanges of food and labor.; The dissertation presents detailed production and consumption data. Time allocation, activity scheduling, economic resources, labor exchanges, technology and decision-making are discussed. An attempt is made to place this information within the context of culture change. |
