Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes

Since the mid-1970s, increasingly more Orang Asli from the interior have been relocated into regroupment schemes, where they are introduced to the cultivation of cash crops including rubber and oil palm. This involves a major change to their socia-economic lifestyle, in having to switch from subsi...

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Main Author: Lin, Khor Geok
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 1994
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3040/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3040/1/The_Relationship_between_Quality_of_Home_Environment_and.pdf
id upm-3040
recordtype eprints
spelling upm-30402013-05-27T07:05:18Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3040/ Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes Lin, Khor Geok Since the mid-1970s, increasingly more Orang Asli from the interior have been relocated into regroupment schemes, where they are introduced to the cultivation of cash crops including rubber and oil palm. This involves a major change to their socia-economic lifestyle, in having to switch from subsistence cropping coupled with hunting-gathering activity to being drawn into the market economy. Some 15 years after relocation, the nutritional status of Orang Asli children in regroupment schemes can be described as poor with a moderate to high prevalence of underweight, acute and chronic malnutrition. Their dietary intakes are deficient in calories and several major nutrients. This article also presents findings of the deleterious impact of resettlement on nutritional status experienced in other countries. There exists an over-simplified assumption that introduction to cash cropping will lead to increased income, which will provide more money for food, and in turn result in improvement in nutritional status. Evidence involving indigenous groups and peasant farmers is provided to show that this linkage does not necessarily emanate. In reality, relocation entails cultural uprooting and lifestyle changes which may not be overcome by the provision of physical facilities and economic incentives only. Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 1994 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3040/1/The_Relationship_between_Quality_of_Home_Environment_and.pdf Lin, Khor Geok (1994) Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 2 (2). pp. 123-132. ISSN 0128-7702 English
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local University
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
language English
English
description Since the mid-1970s, increasingly more Orang Asli from the interior have been relocated into regroupment schemes, where they are introduced to the cultivation of cash crops including rubber and oil palm. This involves a major change to their socia-economic lifestyle, in having to switch from subsistence cropping coupled with hunting-gathering activity to being drawn into the market economy. Some 15 years after relocation, the nutritional status of Orang Asli children in regroupment schemes can be described as poor with a moderate to high prevalence of underweight, acute and chronic malnutrition. Their dietary intakes are deficient in calories and several major nutrients. This article also presents findings of the deleterious impact of resettlement on nutritional status experienced in other countries. There exists an over-simplified assumption that introduction to cash cropping will lead to increased income, which will provide more money for food, and in turn result in improvement in nutritional status. Evidence involving indigenous groups and peasant farmers is provided to show that this linkage does not necessarily emanate. In reality, relocation entails cultural uprooting and lifestyle changes which may not be overcome by the provision of physical facilities and economic incentives only.
format Article
author Lin, Khor Geok
spellingShingle Lin, Khor Geok
Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes
author_facet Lin, Khor Geok
author_sort Lin, Khor Geok
title Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes
title_short Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes
title_full Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes
title_fullStr Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes
title_full_unstemmed Resettlement and Nutritional Implications: the Case of Orang Asli in Regroupment Schemes
title_sort resettlement and nutritional implications: the case of orang asli in regroupment schemes
publisher Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
publishDate 1994
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3040/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3040/1/The_Relationship_between_Quality_of_Home_Environment_and.pdf
first_indexed 2018-09-07T11:58:48Z
last_indexed 2018-09-07T11:58:48Z
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