So much for our relentless pursuit of the theme of economic inequality in Batagarawa. With the aid of the remarkable classification by economic-group which was invented by our eager informants, we have been able to avoid some of the limitations of a static approach based on the concept of a single ‘modal farmer’. As it has been our purpose to study the workings of the economy in terms of the relationship between richer and poorer farmers, it is to be hoped that no reader will suppose that we have merely replaced one modal farmer with four other dummies.

Our analysis has shown that while a farmer's short-term prospects are greatly dependent on his relative economic position, this is not necessarily true of his longer-term situation. So far as ‘mobility’ between economic-groups is concerned, the system is sticky but not set, there being no ‘peasant aristocracy’, nor institutionally under-privileged group. Nor (an associated point) is the economic system in some kind of natural stable balance, such as would automatically stultify all outside attempts to raise living standards – either by resisting all change, or by toppling in chaos when this balance was disturbed. Batagarawa is an economy in unstable equilibrium which is ripe for development.