Clifford Geertz in his famous book Agricultural Involution(1963) for the first time introduced the concept of “generalised” and “specialised” ecosystems Anthropology by directly borrowing the concepts from the ecologist E.P.Odum(Geertz, 1963:7). According to Geertz: By a generalised ecosystem is meant one in which a great variety of species exists, so that the energy produced by the system is distributed among a relatively large number of different species, each of which is represented by a relatively small number of individuals.(Ibid: 7) The specialised ecosystem on the other hand is characterised by: …a relatively small number of species, each of which is represented by a relatively large number of individuals. (Ibid: 7). In his book Agricultural Involution Geertz made a comparative analysis of the above two types of ecosystems in Indonesia under the impact of colonialism and increasing population pressure. He had specifically shown that these two ecosystems in Indonesia, one represented by ‘swidden’ or slash-and-burn agriculture (generalised) and the other represented by ‘wet-rice agriculture’(specialised) had two different types of dynamics, which finally determined the differences in population density, modes of land use, and agricultural productivity in outer and inner parts of Indonesia. The generalised ecosystem in Indonesia supported a smaller population with higher plant diversity and lesser productivity while the specialised ecosystem could support a larger and denser population with lesser plant diversity but higher agricultural productivity. The findings of Geertz had immense implications for modernisation of food production system in postcolonial Indonesia since any attempt towards technological improvement in agriculture should take into consideration the dynamics and peculiarities of the two types of ecosystems in the country.