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https://theconversation.com/what-ancient-farmers-can-really-teach-us-about-adapting-to-climate-change-and-how-political-power-influences-success-or-failure-217253>
"In dozens of archaeological discoveries around the world, from the
once-successful reservoirs and canals of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the deserted
Viking colonies of Greenland, new evidence paints pictures of civilizations
struggling with unforeseen climate changes and the reality that their farming
practices had become unsustainable.
Among these discoveries are also success stories, where ancient farming
practices helped civilizations survive the hard times.
Zuni farmers in the southwestern United States made it through long stretches
of extremely low rainfall between A.D. 1200 and 1400 by embracing small-scale,
decentralized irrigation systems. Farmers in Ghana coped with severe droughts
from 1450 to 1650 by planting indigenous African grains, like drought-tolerant
pearl millet.
Ancient practices like these are gaining new interest today. As countries face
unprecedented heat waves, storms and melting glaciers, some farmers and
international development organizations are reaching deep into the agricultural
archives to revive these ancient solutions.
Drought-stricken farmers in Spain have reclaimed medieval Moorish irrigation
technology. International companies hungry for carbon offsets have paid big
money for biochar made using pre-Columbian Amazonian production techniques.
Texas ranchers have turned to ancient cover cropping methods to buffer against
unpredictable weather patterns.
But grasping for ancient technologies and techniques without paying attention
to historical context misses one of the most important lessons ancient farmers
can reveal: Agricultural sustainability is as much about power and sovereignty
as it is about soil, water and crops.
I’m an archaeologist who studies agricultural sustainability in the past.
Discoveries in recent years have shown how the human past is full of people who
dealt with climate change in both sustainable and unsustainable ways.
Archaeologists are finding that ancient sustainability was tethered closely to
politics. However, these dynamics are often forgotten in discussions of
sustainability today."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
