Team members: Rajeswari B.T., Al Badush, Harini Nagendra, Rohan Arthur, Seema Mundoli and Suri Venkatachalam

Timeline: 2022 - present

Food habits are a blend of culture, history and local geography, which reflect the rich traditions, identity and relationship people have with their natural resources. In traditional and resource-dependent cultures, this relationship is particularly clear, since the food cooked in households is often based on local resources. However, one of the biggest impacts of modernity is a shift towards ingredients from more distant sources – produced, packaged and distributed as part of a global distribution system which could change the way local communities interact with their local environment, both in material and emotional ways.

Project objectives:

• Explore how urbanisation and connectivity influence food practices and natural resource dependence in the Lakshadweep

• Characterise changes in community relationships with the natural geographies of Lakshadweep through the lens of food

• Document seasonal patterns in food practices related to natural cycles, resource availability, and cultural calendars

The Lakshadweep Islands are among the most densely populated regions in the country, and islanders face resource scarcity due to limited land, poor soil quality, and isolation of the islands. However, improved transportation has fast-tracked urbanisation and exposed islanders to different food cultures, allowing them to benefit from a wider food distribution system — both national and international.

We have been observing and understanding from the interviews the food patterns have been changing faster in the islands which are more urbanised and connected to the mainland.

In a place like limited special area and other natural resources also far from the mainland, and the hustle and bustle. People have been interacting, connecting and depending on their natural resources in different ways. Some of the pictures that we collected through time about life in different islands in Lakshadweep.

Our team has observed varying levels of urbanisation in different islands in the archipelago. Alongside this development, people’s relationships with food and nature has also changed. For instance, a reliance on locally available edible molluscs, coconut plantations and colocasia is being replaced with commodities like rice and vegetables from the mainland. Through interviews, we have noted that food habits are changing faster on islands that are more urbanised and connected to the mainland.

In a fragile ecosystem like the Lakshadweep, understanding people’s interaction, connection and dependency on local resources is complicated, but is important to ensure the long term survival of life on the islands.