Abstract
The labor‐intensive rice harvesting practices of rural Java are commonly hailed as a system of equity and a prime example of “shared poverty.” Closer examination, however, reveals a delicately balanced set of production and exchange relationships that determines both differential access and returns to harvesting opportunities. The paper describes methods of harvesting‐labor recruitment and payment in the context of village economy and presents quantitative data on harvesting practices. It concludes with a discussion of the historical developments in labor relations for the research site (Kali Loro) and Java in general and relates changes in the dominance of certain labor arrangements to recent and widespread changes in harvesting practices today.

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