Raising Cane : The Political Economy of Sugar in Western India

The sugar factories of western India - owned and operated by peasants - are a Third World success story. Large in scale and efficient in operation, they are organized as cooperatives, with cane growers as their voting members. In this comprehensive study, Dr. Attwood presents the story of these cooperatives and details the creativity and political knowledge of their peasant leaders. He explains why sugar production - contrary to standard predictions - has not impoverished small-hold peasants. Instead it has increased their opportunities, with the cooperatives, encouraging a much-needed variety of economic and social institutions. Tracing the powerful influence of the cooperatives and their leaders on the region's political economy, the author examines strategies for encouraging similar grass-roots leadership elsewhere in India and the Third World.