"Living Other-Wise": The Bushmen Farming Network as an Example of "Alter-Native" Counter Practices to Agriculture and Development

Cultural and social relations that are constitutive of alternative ways of conceiving and practicing development exemplify "living other-wise" (Shilliam 2015, 8) to the central premises of the global development agenda. That is to say, communities who are actively trying to create sustainable alternatives have been contesting the dominant vision of development. In this article, I explore the small, fledgling Bushmen Farming Network of Malaita, Solomon Islands, who question the dominant vision of agricultural development and are attempting to create a small, dynamic, and self-conscious alternative that seeks to enhance self-reliance and local production. My analysis highlights the persistence of social values and relations other-wise and demonstrates their political significance for development. This attempt to organize for living other-wise is an interesting and important response for sustainable development in communities caught between the lure of mainstream development and more socially oriented cultural indigenous values.