y central problem has been with the territorialisation of nomadic forest
dwelling communities resulting from contact with settlers and the
consequent social struggles over resource politics. The complexity of
contemporary indigenous lives offers post development visions; at the same
time, they have been co-opted by capitalist processes. These transitions
have been inadequately dealt with but theorising them also runs the risk
of essentialism. This was an empirical study among the Adivasis of the
Attappady Hills of Kerala using ethnographic methods and narrative
analysis. The aim of this research was to understand their agrarian
transition and enquire why it led to a recent period of food scarcity. I
demonstrate the processes by which their food sovereignty has been
destroyed by agrarian capitalism and fall out of certain development
practices. Finally, the research proposes communitarian alternatives,
involving the need to preserve agrobiodiversity and viable governance
structures.