Planar lattice gases with nearest-neighbour exclusion

We discuss the hard-hexagon and hard-square problems, as well as the corresponding problem on the honeycomb lattice. The case when the activity is unity is of interest to combinatorialists, being the problem of counting binary matrices with no two adjacent 1's. For this case we use the powerful corner transfer matrix method to numerically evaluate the partition function per site, density and some near-neighbour correlations to high accuracy. In particular for the square lattice we obtain the partition function per site to 43 decimal places.Comment: 16 pages, 2 built-in Latex figures, 4 table

Population Growth, Famine and Economic Growth

The aim   of this chapter is to examine briefly some aspects of the demography of my   field area. This discussion will lead into the focus of the next chapter,   which aims to examine the organisation of production and labour, paying   particular attention to the relationship between labour demand and household   size and structure

Land Ownership: Caste and Economic Status

In   this chapter I will be examining some of the features of the system of land   tenure in Rajasthan and an!llysing the distribution of land ownership in   Hinganiya. The underlying ~m is to demonstrate the biased distribution of   land ownership particularly along caste lines and to examine the extent to   which landownership and caste are related. The working hypothesis is that   there is a land-wealth nexus. In later chapters I will examine the points at   which wealth and landownership diverge.

Castes and Caste Relationships

In   order to understand the agrarian system in any Indian local community it is   necessary to understand the workings of the caste system, since caste   patterns much social and economic behaviour. The major responses to the   uncertain environment of western Rajasthan involve utilising a wide variety   of resources, either by spreading risks within the agro-pastoral economy, by   moving into other physical regions (through nomadism) or by tapping in to the   national economy, through civil service, military service or other   employment

Introduction

The   environment of western Rajasthan is shaped by predominant aridity, which is   broken by moderate and irregular monsoonal rainfall. One assessment of the   occurrence and perception of drought by farmers is that in every decade there   are ' ... from six to nine severe drought years, from one to three good   years, and hardly one average or "normal" year' (Bharara 1982:352).   The problem is that no one knows in advance which will be a good year or   which will be a bad year.

Agriculture, Pastoralism and Household Economy

Vincze   (1980) has discussed the features of economies which he refers to as   'agro-pastoral peasant economies'. The term can usefully be applied to the   economy of Hinganiya and its surrounding villages. It is a peasant economy in   the sense that it is concerned with subsistence, while being oriented towards   markets for the sale of surpluses. It is agro-pastoral because the economy   combines agriculture and herding. This chapter describes agricultural and   pastoral production in Hinganiya. It then goes on to describe subsistence   activities, placing emphasis on the annual work cycles associated with both   agriculture and pastoralism. A major aim is to identify priorities for   production and any points of conflict between the requirements of the various   subsistence activities.

Fieldsite: Hinganiya and the Surrounding Villages

This   chapter is intended to provide a brief introduction to the villages in which   I carried out fieldwork. Map 4 shows the locations of the four villages and   important adjacent villages. The description in this chapter describes the   situation up to the time of my field visit in 1987. Subsequent developments   are not discussed.

Conclusion

The   farmers of western Rajasthan are faced with one certainty: the certainty that   their livelihood each year is uncertain. My concern in this study has been to   look at the way people in one part of the region survive in circumstances of   great uncertainty about subsistence in the face of unreliable seasonal   rainfall. The study has been conceived primarily as a study of an agrarian   system -a system of agricultural production including the ecological,   socio-economic and political context.

Ecological Context: The Environment of Western Rajasthan

The   purpose of this chapter is to outline the main features of the environment of   western Rajasthan. The emphasis will be on the macro-environment, setting the   broad context, although, where appropriate, I will point out the specific   features of my field area. I will also provide a brief account of human   occupation and land use.

Adapting to Drought: Beyond the Village

So far   I have concentrated on describing the agro-pastoral economy of western   Rajasthan, emphasising the ways in which it is organised and the way it   incorporates risk management. I have also discussed the twin hierarchies of   caste and landownership which are an important aspect of the context within   which agro-pastoralism operates. In this chapter I will pursue two themes.   Firstly I wish to show in greater detail how economic opportunities are   opened or closed by position in either of the caste or landownership   hierarchies. This partly involves a discussion of labour relations, but moves   to an examination of various types of emigration and the ways in which caste   and economic status affect the pattern of emigration. The second theme is the   role of the state in famine relief and development.