Interplay of Culture and Horticulture Among the Savara of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Abstract The perception that communities are passive recipients of innovations has long been rejected. The way communities respond to any innovation is the result of unique and complex negotiations and renegotiations between their culture and the innovations. These responses can cause changes in the existing elements of the culture and lead to the emergence of new elements that act as feedback into the initial process. It is from this perspective that this article aims to understand the introduction and expansion of horticulture among the Savara of Seethampeta Mandal, Andhra Pradesh. The interplay of the Savara culture and horticulture is grounded on certain Savara institutions and their responses to the innovation of horticulture, creating a loop where positive responses from the earlier culture feed into new elements of culture that are positively oriented towards horticulture. Using ethnographic data based on fieldwork, this article seeks to understand how the earlier and emergent Savara cultures have facilitated the widespread adoption of horticulture in the area under study.