Kerala : a desakota ?

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Kerala : a desakota ?

Mathieu Pauchet, Sébastien Oliveau

To cite this version:

Mathieu Pauchet, Sébastien Oliveau. Kerala : a desakota ?. European Population Conference, Dec

2008, Barcelone, Spain. �halshs-01140931�

Kerala : a desakota ?

Le Kérala : une desakota ?

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Mathieu Pauchet, Sébastien Oliveau

UMR ESPACE (www.univ-provence.fr/umrespace/)

Context / Contexte

The desakota concept (literally “village-town”) proposed by T. G. McGee (1991) aims to characterise rural settle- Le concept de desakotaOLWWpUDOHPHQW©YLOODJHYLOOHªSURSRVpSDU7*0F*HHYLVHjFDUDFWpULVHU ment patterns proper to Asia, which are often invisible from the point of view of the authorities, but which are distin- GHVIRUPHVGHSHXSOHPHQWUXUDOHVSURSUHVjO¶$VLHVRXYHQWLQYLVLEOHVGXSRLQWGHYXHGHVDXWRULWpVPDLVTXL guished by a mixture of agricultural and non-agricultural activities in the densely populated areas and localy where SUpVHQWHQWFRPPHFDUDFWpULVWLTXHVXQHPL[LWpGHVDFWLYLWpVDJULFROHVHWQRQDJULFROHVGDQVGHVHVSDFHVGHQ-the population is highly mobile. Developed primarily for Indonesia, but considered as existent in India, SUpVHQWHQWFRPPHFDUDFWpULVWLTXHVXQHPL[LWpGHVDFWLYLWpVDJULFROHVHWQRQDJULFROHVGDQVGHVHVSDFHVGHQ-the term VpPHQW SHXSOpV HW R OD PRELOLWp GHV SRSXODWLRQV HVW ORFDOHPHQW LPSRUWDQWH 'pYHORSSp DYDQW WRXW SRXU "desakota" seems to correspond to both the habitat and living pattern shapes of a part of Kerala (a state with 32 O¶,QGRQpVLHPDLVHQYLVDJpFRPPHH[LVWDQWHQ,QGHODdesakotaVHPEOHFRUUHVSRQGUHDX[IRUPHVG¶KDELWDW

millions inhabitants in the southern part of India). HWGHYLHG¶XQHSDUWLHGX.pUDODpWDWGHPLOOLRQVG¶KDELWDQWVDXVXGGHO¶,QGH

Methodology /

Méthodologie

McGee outlines 5 criteria to identify desakotas : ‡$ODUJHSDUWRIWKHSRSXODWLRQKDVEHHQRULVVWLOOHQJDJHG in agriculture (most of them in the cultivation of rice) ; ‡$Q LQFUHDVH LQ QRQDJULFXOWXUDO DFWLYLWLHV LQ DUHDV WKDW have previously been largely agricultural. These nonagri-cultural activities are characterised by a mixture of activi-ties (e.g. trade, transport and industry) ;

‡$QLQFUHDVHLQWKHSDUWLFLSDWLRQRIZRPHQLQWKHVHFRQ-Major cities dary and tertiary sectors, by their recruitment in industry, Peri-urban

SPATIAL SYSTEM

domestic service etc ; Desakota

Densely populated rural ‡$EURDGYDULHW\RIODQGXVHDJULFXOWXUHLQGXVWU\WUDGH Sparsely populated frontier habitat);

Smaller cities and towns

Communication routes ‡$QH[WUHPHIOXLGLW\LQWKHPRYHPHQWRISRSXODWLRQDQG goods to the larger urban centres, but also within these

Spatial configuration of a hypothetical Asian country _zones.

source : McGee (1991)

To give prominence to these criteria and define different spaces, we have coupled three methodologies : ‡*,6FRQFHLYHGE\WKH6RXWK,QGLDQ)HUWLOLW\3URMHFW±KWWSZZZGHPRJUDSKLHQHWVLISWRSURFHVVWKHFHQVXVGDWDV ‡6DWHOOLWHLPDJHVWRGHVFULEHWKHJURXQGRFFXSDWLRQ

‡)LHOGZRUNWRFRQILUPDQDO\VLVDQGPHDVXUHPRELOLWLHV

McGee définit 5 critères pour identifier les desakotas :

‡8QHJUDQGHSDUWLHGHODSRSXODWLRQHVWRXDpWpHQJDJpHGDQVODVHFRQGHPRLWLp GX;;HVLqFOHGDQVO¶DJULFXOWXUHSULQFLSDOHPHQWODUL]LFXOWXUH ‡/HVDFWLYLWpVQRQDJULFROHVDXJPHQWHQWGDQVGHV]RQHVTXLpWDLHQWDXSDUDYDQW ODUJHPHQWDJULFROHV&HVDFWLYLWpVQRQDJULFROHVVRQWFDUDFWpULVpHVSDUXQPp-ODQJHG¶DFWLYLWpVFRPPHUFHWUDQVSRUWHWLQGXVWULH ‡/DSDUWLFLSDWLRQGHVIHPPHVGDQVOHVVHFWHXUVVHFRQGDLUHVHWWHUWLDLUHVVHGpYH-ORSSHSDUOHELDLVGHOHXUHQJDJHPHQWGDQVO¶LQGXVWULHOHWUDYDLOGRPHVWLTXH HWF ‡/¶XWLOLVDWLRQGHVVROVHVWWUqVGLYHUVLILpHDJULFXOWXUHLQGXVWULHFRPPHUFHKD-ELWDW ‡/DSRSXODWLRQHWOHVELHQVVRQWWUqVPRELOHYHUVOHVJUDQGVFHQWUHVXUEDLQV PDLVDXVVLDXVHLQGHFHV]RQHV

3RXU PHWWUH j OpSUHXYH FHV FULWqUHV HW GpILQLU GLIIpUHQWV HVSDFHV QRXV DYRQV FRXSOpWURLVPpWKRGRORJLHV

‡ 6,* SURGXLW SDU OH 6RXWK ,QGLDQ )HUWLOLW\ 3URMHFW 

KWWSZZZGHPRJUDSKLHQHWVLISSRXUWUDLWHUOHVGRQQpHVFHQVLWDLUHV ‡,PDJHVVDWHOOLWHVSRXUGpFULUHORFFXSDWLRQGXVRO

‡(QTXrWHVSRXUFRQILUPHUOHVDQDO\VHVHWSUHQGUHODPHVXUHGHVPRELOLWpV

Results /

Résultats

1RWUH pWXGH PRQWUH TXH FHUWDLQHV UpJLRQV GX .pUDOD VDWLVIRQW Our study shows that some regions in Kerala satisfy

DX[FULWqUHVGH0F*HH McGee’s features:

/DJULFXOWXUHUHVWHLPSRUWDQWHDX.pUDODUL]LFXOWXUHHWPDLQ-- Agriculture remains important in Kerala (the cultivation of

WHQDQWVXUWRXWFRFRWLHUVHWKpYpDV rice and nowadays mostly coconut and rubber);

/¶DXJPHQWDWLRQGHODSDUWGHO¶LQGXVWULHHWGHVVHUYLFHVGXUDQW - The increase in the part of industry and services in recent

OHV GHUQLqUHV GpFHQQLHV D LQGXLW XQ PpODQJH G¶DFWLYLWpV HQ decades has induced a mixture of activities in the rural

PLOLHXUXUDOODSDUWGHVDFWLIVHVWDXMRXUG¶KXLSOXVLPSRUWDQWH milieu: the proportion of workers in non-agricultural activities

GDQVOHVDFWLYLWpVQRQDJULFROHV is higher today.

 (Q  OD PRLWLp GHV IHPPHV DFWLYHV HQ PLOLHX UXUDO GX - In 1994, half of the rural female workers in Kerala were

en- .pUDODpWDLWHQJDJpHGDQVXQHDFWLYLWpQRQDJULFROHFRQWUHVHX-gaged in a non-agricultural activity (versus only a 14 % in the

OHPHQWSRXUOHUHVWHGHO¶,QGH3DUFRQWUHOHXUWDX[GH rest of India). However, participation rate was relatively low.

GDFWLYLWppWDLWUHODWLYHPHQWEDV - In addition, the diversity of our methodology (satellite

3DUDLOOHXUVODGLYHUVLWpGHQRWUHPpWKRGRORJLHLPDJHVVDWHO-images, fieldwork), has allowed us to observe the

com-OLWH HW WHUUDLQ QRXV D SHUPLV G¶REVHUYHU OD FRPSOH[LWp GH plexity of land use in Kerala, resulting from the presence of

O¶XWLOLVDWLRQGXVRODX.pUDODUpVXOWDQWGHODSUpVHQFHGHGLIIp-different agricultural and nonagricultural activities and the

UHQWHVDFWLYLWpVDJULFROHVHWQRQDJULFROHVHWGHO¶H[SORLWDWLRQGH exploitation of the smallest piece of land.

WRXWHVOHVWHUUHVGLVSRQLEOHV - The important mobility of population and goods, which

/DIRUWHPRELOLWpGHODSRSXODWLRQHWGHVELHQVTXLFRQVWLWXHOH constitute the last feature analysed, could not only be

trea-GHUQLHUGHVFULWqUHVDQDO\VpVQ¶DSXrWUHWUDLWpHTXHSDUOHELDLV ted only by the means of intermittent surveys. Statistics from

GHQTXrWHVSRQFWXHOOHV/HVFKLIIUHVGX1DWLRQDO6DPSOH6XUYH\ the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on

com-2UJDQLVDWLRQ1662VXUOHVQDYHWWHXUVPRQWUHQWXQHSOXVIRUWH muters indicate that mobility in Kerala is greater than in the

PRELOLWpDX.pUDODTXHGDQVOHUHVWHGXSD\V$LQVLODSDUWGH rest of the country. Thus, the proportion of commuters is

QDYHWWHXUV HVW GHX[ IRLV SOXV LPSRUWDQWH TXH OD PR\HQQH LQ-twice as high as the Indian average, and higher than the

nei- GLHQQHHWSOXVpOHYpHTXHGDQVOHVpWDWVYRLVLQV'DQVOHVYLOOD-ghbouring states. In the villages studied, between half

JHVpWXGLpVHQWUHODPRLWLp.LOLPDQRRUHWOHVWURLVTXDUWVGHOD (Kilimanoor) and three quarters of the population

SRSXODWLRQ &KDOLVVHU\ GpFODUH rWUH PRELOHV YHUV OD YLOOH HW (Chalissery) claimed to be mobile, to and from the town and

GDQVG¶DXWUHVYLOODJHV other villages.

&HODQRXVDFRQGXLWjO¶pODERUDWLRQG¶XQPRGqOHORFDOLVpGHOD That led us to develop a localised model of the desakota in

GHVDNRWDDX.pUDODILJXUHFLFRQWUH/DUpJLRQGHGHVDNRWD Kerala (see figure opposite). The region of desakota, apart

GLVWLQFWHGXSpULXUEDLQV¶pWHQGUDLWGRQFGXQRUGDXVXGVXUXQH from periurbain, sprawls then from the north to the south on

EDQGHG¶HQYLURQNPGHODUJH a strip approximately 30Km wide.

Conclusion /

Conclusion

The existence of the desakota in the state of Kerala seems to be, then, un- /¶H[LVWHQFH GH OD desakota GDQV O¶pWDW GX .pUDOD VHPEOH GRQF LQGLVFXWDEOH ,O questionable. It may be interesting to ask ourselves what is the origin of its paraît LQWpUHVVDQW GH V¶LQWHUURJHU VXU O¶RULJLQH GH VD IRUPDWLRQ (Q HIIHW OH formation. Indeed, Kerela is reputed to be a unusual state in the Indian .pUDODHVWFRQQXFRPPHpWDQWXQpWDWSDUWLFXOLHUGDQVO¶8QLRQ,QGLHQQHQRWDP-Union, notably because of the large influence exercised since several de- PHQWjFDXVHGHODIRUWHLQIOXHQFHTX¶H[HUFHGHSXLVSOXVLHXUVGpFHQQLHVOHVPL-cades by migrations to the Persian Gulf and accompanying financial mo- JUDWLRQVYHUVOH*ROIH3HUVLTXHHWOHVWUDQVIHUWVILQDQFLHUVLQGXLWV'¶DSUqV.& vements induiced. According to K. C. Zachariah et al (1999), nearly a mil- =DFKDULDKHWDOSUqVG¶XQPLOOLRQHWGHPLGH.pUDODLV\YLYHQWHWHQYRLHQW lion and a half Keralites live abroad and send home each year the equiva- FKDTXHDQQpHO¶pTXLYDOHQWGHPLOOLRQVG¶HXURV/HV0LJUDQWVMRXHQWGRQFXQ lent of 72 millions euros. Migrants play a vital role in the socio-economic U{OH PDMHXU GDQV OHV pYROXWLRQV VRFLRpFRQRPLTXHV HW GpPRJUDSKLTXHV GH FHW and demographic transformation of this state : anchoring the population pWDWDQFUDJHGHODSRSXODWLRQHWGLIIXVLRQGHVLQQRYDWLRQVHQPLOLHXUXUDO and diffusing innovations in the rural environment.

References - Références

Casinader R., (1992), Desakota in Kerala: Space and Political Economy in Southwest India, phd. Thesis, not published.

Chattopadhyay S., (1988), « Urbanization in Kerala », in Geographical Review of India, vol.50, n°2, pp. 8-25.

McGee T.G., (1991), « The Emergence of Desakota Regions in Asia », in N. Ginsburg et al.,

The Extended Metropolis. Settlement Transition in Asia, University of Hawaï Press, Honolulu,

339 p.

Pauchet M., (2007), Le Kérala : une Desakota"0$WKHVLV8QLYHUVLW\RI3URYHQFH)UDQFH not published, 98 p.

=DFKDULDK.&0DWKHZ(7,UXGD\D5DMDQ6Impact of migration on kerala’s