Can heritage agriculture provide answers from the past for the agriculture of the future? An analysis of several deep-rooted systems shows us how much modern agroecology still has to learn.
Roberto Gortaire, an agricultural professional and agroecologist, participated in a research project that sought to discover ancestral forms of agriculture in Ecuador that could be considered part of its heritage.
In this investigation, he traveled throughout the country and learned about the talent and ingenuity developed by indigenous and peasant native peoples to achieve efficient, intelligent agriculture that resolves the huge and critical problems facing the agri-food system.
In this investigation, he traveled throughout the country and learned about the talent and ingenuity developed by indigenous and peasant native peoples to achieve efficient, intelligent agriculture that resolves the huge and critical problems facing the agri-food system.
«In each place I asked myself how it was possible that we had turned our backs on so much knowledge, technology, valuable agrobiodiversity, and an entire culture that is still alive and resisting despite the impact of urban expansion, industrial agriculture and extractivism. As an agronomy professional, I was often surprised and overwhelmed by the ability of these farming families to adapt to extremely difficult circumstances and I realized that our modern agricultural sciences and the path of development that has been imposed have very little to offer and much to learn from these peoples.» says Gortaire
Growing and harvesting so many varieties of corn amidst dry stones in Catacocha, or in the Amazonian chakras of Napo in the middle of the rainforest, or at an altitude of 3,000 meters in Cañar or Cotacahi is the result of an ancient task that few recognize, and not the work of modern plant breeders or research centers; likewise, the breeding of 120 different plant and animal species intertwined in an agricultural complex almost camouflaged with the jungle is only possible in the Aja that has been developed for centuries by the women of the Shuar people.
What can we say about the quality of the diverse products from the traditional Montubio farm, or from the canoe makers, hillmen and stone cutters of the Chachis brothers and Afro-Ecuadorians, or the productive force of the mangrove peoples? Diversity and ingenuity everywhere.
What can we say about the quality of the diverse products from the traditional Montubio farm, or from the canoe makers, hillmen and stone cutters of the Chachis brothers and Afro-Ecuadorians, or the productive force of the mangrove peoples? Diversity and ingenuity everywhere.
If we give this accumulated knowledge the value it deserves, it would be more than enough to overcome poverty; and even more, if we recognize its talent and value so much knowledge that we have despised in the past, we will surely find the answers for the agriculture of the future.
The Andean chakra
The Andean Chakra or chagra is the form of agriculture typical of the indigenous Quichua peoples of the mountains and can be found throughout the inter-Andean alley; specifically from the south of the province of Carchi (bordering Colombia) to the north of Loja (bordering Peru).
It is characterized by a high agrobiodiversity and a complex system of seeds and varietal adaptations that develop in the various agro-climatic zones of the mountain range, approximately between 2,400 and 3,500 meters above sea level, where three zones are generally recognized: high, medium and low (and transition zones). Since its pre-Hispanic origin, chakra is oriented towards the satisfaction of family and community food, this criterion is what determines what and how much should be planted.
The influence of the lunar cycle and various agroclimatic signs define when to sow; the solstices and equinoxes mark the milestones of the Andean agrofestive calendar. A series of ingenious practices and highly functional technologies for the ecological management of soil, water, crops and breeding are the keys to the sustainability of the agroecosystem and explain how to produce.
It is characterized by a high agrobiodiversity and a complex system of seeds and varietal adaptations that develop in the various agro-climatic zones of the mountain range, approximately between 2,400 and 3,500 meters above sea level, where three zones are generally recognized: high, medium and low (and transition zones). Since its pre-Hispanic origin, chakra is oriented towards the satisfaction of family and community food, this criterion is what determines what and how much should be planted.
The influence of the lunar cycle and various agroclimatic signs define when to sow; the solstices and equinoxes mark the milestones of the Andean agrofestive calendar. A series of ingenious practices and highly functional technologies for the ecological management of soil, water, crops and breeding are the keys to the sustainability of the agroecosystem and explain how to produce.
Another key characteristic is the cultural complex, the ancestral rites and traditions that accompany the development of crops, breeding and food; these give it a spiritual meaning and a deep connection with reality, Allpa Mama (mother earth – living soil), Yaku Mama (living water) and Pacha Mama (the natural context and universal vital energy), and have been key in maintaining the cohesion and expansion of the social fabric, which is expressed in the family, the indigenous community and its organizational forms.
The pink Wachu and the pastures farm
Wachu Rozado is a minimum tillage technology of ancient origin, the basis of an agroforestry-pastoral complex that we will call “Finca de los Pastos”, referring to the ancestral peoples who inhabited the northern Andean territories of Ecuador and southern Colombia, particularly the province of Carchi, and who today recognize themselves in the process of cultural revitalization. The system integrates a mixture of pastures (including wild and modern varieties) for raising cattle in rotation with varieties of potatoes, and sometimes other Andean tubers and crops; as well as forest and shrub plants with ecological, mechanical or medicinal functions.
The practice of wachu rozado is applied manually with a specific implement (a stick with a cute). The pasture farm is developed in the context of the Northern Andean Páramo, where deep knowledge and a close and living relationship with this cold and humid ecosystem is another important characteristic of the agricultural culture that is built here.
Water planting and avocado orchards
We first discuss the water sowing system or Catacocha, which is an artificial lentic wetland of great technological complexity of ancestral origin, typical of the region of the Equatorial Low Andes, a territory that in the integration period (900 to 1470 AD) was occupied by the so-called Paltas and other important cultures, prior to the incursion of the Incas. The Paltas were able to adapt their agrarian model to the dry forest ecosystem and the edapho-climatic heterogeneity of the area.
Catacocha involves the creation of large infiltration ponds in strategically located high areas, which capture rainwater runoff through branches or channels and percolate it into the depth of the soil.
This infiltrated water appears in slopes in lower areas and moves through ravines; there the so-called “tajamares” are installed, which are barriers or stone walls placed in the course of the ravine that reduce the speed of the water and dam it, preventing its loss, while on its banks they allow the generation of biomes with high diversity. Already at the entrance to the properties there are the “pilancones” which are reservoirs or ponds that allow the capture of water for agricultural use and human consumption. It has been observed that during the winters the system fills up (saturation of the subsoil by infiltration), to then be used in the very dry months (the volume in the slopes increases).
The agricultural systems that use the catacochas have great landscape notoriety, agrobiodiversity and a technological complex based on agroforestry systems that we will call “Huertas de los Paltas” due to their authenticity and particularity. Animal husbandry is also important and the traditional corn system of a native variety adapted to dry conditions and stony terrain (stone corn) is also surprising; the traditional corn system includes ataco and sangorache (Amaranthus quitensis and A. Spp-), other species that are equally resistant to drought.
In the lower areas, where the infiltration pond system did not operate, “sunken terraces” were designed to allow moisture saturation during the winter so that crops could be grown on them in the summer. “River bed” agriculture is also practiced, which uses the river channel itself in the summer when the flow decreases or ceases, and thus gardens are created to guarantee food production.
Catacocha involves the creation of large infiltration ponds in strategically located high areas, which capture rainwater runoff through branches or channels and percolate it into the depth of the soil.
This infiltrated water appears in slopes in lower areas and moves through ravines; there the so-called “tajamares” are installed, which are barriers or stone walls placed in the course of the ravine that reduce the speed of the water and dam it, preventing its loss, while on its banks they allow the generation of biomes with high diversity. Already at the entrance to the properties there are the “pilancones” which are reservoirs or ponds that allow the capture of water for agricultural use and human consumption. It has been observed that during the winters the system fills up (saturation of the subsoil by infiltration), to then be used in the very dry months (the volume in the slopes increases).
The agricultural systems that use the catacochas have great landscape notoriety, agrobiodiversity and a technological complex based on agroforestry systems that we will call “Huertas de los Paltas” due to their authenticity and particularity. Animal husbandry is also important and the traditional corn system of a native variety adapted to dry conditions and stony terrain (stone corn) is also surprising; the traditional corn system includes ataco and sangorache (Amaranthus quitensis and A. Spp-), other species that are equally resistant to drought.
In the lower areas, where the infiltration pond system did not operate, “sunken terraces” were designed to allow moisture saturation during the winter so that crops could be grown on them in the summer. “River bed” agriculture is also practiced, which uses the river channel itself in the summer when the flow decreases or ceases, and thus gardens are created to guarantee food production.
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This is the highest wall over the town of Catacocha, province of Loja
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The Montubia Estate
We will call Finca Montubia the diversified agricultural system that takes place in the Ecuadorian coastal provinces and is practiced by peasant families with a Montubia tradition: a mestizo people with a strong identity, inherited from natives, Africans, Spaniards and, to a lesser extent, Lebanese. The system can focus on the development of crops such as cocoa, coffee or bananas, however it integrates fruit crops, forestry, vegetables and animal husbandry, and is often assimilated with the tropical forest.
On the farm, three subsystems usually coexist: the albarradas; the farm itself; and the threshing floors or orchards. The albarradas consist of an artificial wetland, a technology of ancestral origin that is the center of a complex system of water resource management: water is captured by infiltration methods in winter, it is used for irrigation, fish and duck breeding, and it becomes a place for refreshment and recreation. It is common in dry areas and makes it possible to irrigate the farm where diversification, coverage and organic management of the soil reduce water demand and thus integrate a virtuous circle in the use of water. On the farm itself, mainly fruit trees and very diverse crops typical of the tropics are grown, such as bananas, cocoa, cassava, rice varieties and many more. In a smaller area there are the so-called Eras or orchards: this is the family pantry of vegetables, legumes, seasonings, fruit trees and other crops typical of the family's basic diet.
On the farm, three subsystems usually coexist: the albarradas; the farm itself; and the threshing floors or orchards. The albarradas consist of an artificial wetland, a technology of ancestral origin that is the center of a complex system of water resource management: water is captured by infiltration methods in winter, it is used for irrigation, fish and duck breeding, and it becomes a place for refreshment and recreation. It is common in dry areas and makes it possible to irrigate the farm where diversification, coverage and organic management of the soil reduce water demand and thus integrate a virtuous circle in the use of water. On the farm itself, mainly fruit trees and very diverse crops typical of the tropics are grown, such as bananas, cocoa, cassava, rice varieties and many more. In a smaller area there are the so-called Eras or orchards: this is the family pantry of vegetables, legumes, seasonings, fruit trees and other crops typical of the family's basic diet.
Canoeists, Hillmen and Stonecutters
In the north of the province of Esmeraldas there are rivers such as the Cayapas and the Santiago, part of the Chocó bioregion, on whose banks communities of diverse cultural origin have lived since ancient times, mostly of native Chachi nationality and Afro-descendants who were not enslaved,
incorporating their original traditions into the American system. They coexist in an ecosystem of singular scenic beauty where the river is combined with the tropical rainforest. They have developed stable intercultural relationships, and various adaptations and synergies with their environment. They basically include 3 agricultural subsystems: canoes, hills and flowerbeds.
Canoeras are small horticultural and medicinal gardens that are cultivated in raised beds generally built with wood and guadua cane, but it is also common to use old river canoes that are recycled in this way to arrange the garden, hence its name. Colinos or P'atavitia in the language of the Chachis (cha'apalachi), are models of ancestral slash-and-burn agriculture that can be explained as diversified family farms that are developed in harmony with the tropical rainforest in areas that generally range from half to one hectare. Their main crops are banana, yucca, coconut, cocoa, chonta and various fruit trees. In the first phase of sowing, associations of corn (varieties called canguil and criollo) are included, with beans, broad beans, cucurbits and other plants. The name "colino" has another common use and refers to the botanical form of reproduction of plants such as banana. The term is used interchangeably to refer to the farm itself and to any branch or shoot suitable for planting. Cantero or E'vitia for the Chachis, is the name given to a sugar cane crop, a product that gained importance in the region due to various uses and processes generated (sugar cane honey, panela, guarapo, liquor, bagasse, etc.).
It is generally observed in plots of between 500 and 1000 square meters enclosed by trees and bushes typical of the tropical forest. The river dynamics determine the natural fertility processes of the riverbank soils, which is where the Colinos and Canteros are cultivated; and the river drag that brings soil and leaf litter from high lands forms an organic compound called marmaja, which is the most appropriate substrate for the cultivation of Canoeras.
Canoeras are small horticultural and medicinal gardens that are cultivated in raised beds generally built with wood and guadua cane, but it is also common to use old river canoes that are recycled in this way to arrange the garden, hence its name. Colinos or P'atavitia in the language of the Chachis (cha'apalachi), are models of ancestral slash-and-burn agriculture that can be explained as diversified family farms that are developed in harmony with the tropical rainforest in areas that generally range from half to one hectare. Their main crops are banana, yucca, coconut, cocoa, chonta and various fruit trees. In the first phase of sowing, associations of corn (varieties called canguil and criollo) are included, with beans, broad beans, cucurbits and other plants. The name "colino" has another common use and refers to the botanical form of reproduction of plants such as banana. The term is used interchangeably to refer to the farm itself and to any branch or shoot suitable for planting. Cantero or E'vitia for the Chachis, is the name given to a sugar cane crop, a product that gained importance in the region due to various uses and processes generated (sugar cane honey, panela, guarapo, liquor, bagasse, etc.).
It is generally observed in plots of between 500 and 1000 square meters enclosed by trees and bushes typical of the tropical forest. The river dynamics determine the natural fertility processes of the riverbank soils, which is where the Colinos and Canteros are cultivated; and the river drag that brings soil and leaf litter from high lands forms an organic compound called marmaja, which is the most appropriate substrate for the cultivation of Canoeras.
The Mangrove Villages
The ancestral peoples of the mangrove ecosystem in Ecuador are so named because they consider that the basis of their cultural identity, their social and economic rationality is transcendentally linked to it. They occupy the coastal areas of the marine fringe and river estuaries. They are mainly made up of Afro-Ecuadorians, mulattoes and peasants of Montubio identity.
In the mangrove swamp, at least two fundamental activities coexist: shell collecting and artisanal fishing of species from the river estuary. However, these people do not only live in the mangrove strip, but also with other subsystems: the transition zone or raconchal, vegetation where crabs develop and are caught; the diversified farm (similar to that described for the Montubio people) and the tropical rainforest. In other words, the mangrove people are built in a “society” between these 5 subsystems, constituting an agro-food and collecting complex in harmony with natural ecosystems.
In the mangrove swamp, at least two fundamental activities coexist: shell collecting and artisanal fishing of species from the river estuary. However, these people do not only live in the mangrove strip, but also with other subsystems: the transition zone or raconchal, vegetation where crabs develop and are caught; the diversified farm (similar to that described for the Montubio people) and the tropical rainforest. In other words, the mangrove people are built in a “society” between these 5 subsystems, constituting an agro-food and collecting complex in harmony with natural ecosystems.
The Aja Shuar
The Ecuadorian Amazon, one of the most remarkable biodiversity centers in the world, is also home to what could be considered the most complex, authentic and diversified agricultural systems in the country. The Aja, practiced by the Shuar nationality, is practically “camouflaged” with the natural ecosystem. The role of the Shuar woman is decisive in it, since she is almost exclusively responsible for managing the system. Of crucial importance is the practice of various rites such as the Anent: prayers or songs of singular beauty that are performed at different times and that are a sign of the respect and deep affection that the Shuar people give to nature. The Nantar or talismans are special stones secretly hidden by the woman at some point within the Aja and that house Nunkui, the Queen of the Aja, who emits the energy and vitality necessary for the development of the crops.
The various arrangements and associations between crops are very functional and complex; there is a considerable knowledge about the reasons and periods of strength and fragility of the soil, a dual characteristic very typical of the Amazon, and agricultural technologies adapted to this condition have been created. For example, the mobility of the Aja: we are talking about an area of approximately 1 hectare that is installed in a slash-and-burn forest, in a cultivation period that does not go beyond 3 or 4 years (old aja); then comes a period of functional rest or regeneration of the natural ecosystem that lasts between 5 and 15 years. The Aja moves to another site, starting the cycle with the slash-and-burn of grasses and bushes, then the largest trees are felled.
The process of soil decomposition and formation is dynamic and accelerated, and ashes obtained from burning dry grasses and trees are often added, which mineralizes these organic soils. The agrobiodiversity managed in an Aja includes more than 100 different crops, where cassava is generally the guide or center of agro-food processing (more than 30 recognized varieties); Chinese potato, pelmas, kenkes (tubers), pineapple, sweet potato, beans, bananas, peanuts, corn, various fruit trees, all of them crops intertwined in a multifunctional set of species.
To a casual observer it would seem like a random mix, but certain “secrets” can be recognized: there are species that should be planted next to the yuca and others that should not be in the Aja because they harm the growth; some prefer shade and others avoid it, and so on for a number of agronomic criteria. In addition, dozens of medicinal plants are recognized and cultivated and the diversity of animal husbandry is not insignificant, including peccaries, turkeys, agoutis, and guanta. The connection of the Aja with the diversity of the Amazon rainforest integrates another series of wild fruits, animals, insects, birds, and river fish that enrich the incredibly diverse and healthy diet of the Shuar people.
The process of soil decomposition and formation is dynamic and accelerated, and ashes obtained from burning dry grasses and trees are often added, which mineralizes these organic soils. The agrobiodiversity managed in an Aja includes more than 100 different crops, where cassava is generally the guide or center of agro-food processing (more than 30 recognized varieties); Chinese potato, pelmas, kenkes (tubers), pineapple, sweet potato, beans, bananas, peanuts, corn, various fruit trees, all of them crops intertwined in a multifunctional set of species.
To a casual observer it would seem like a random mix, but certain “secrets” can be recognized: there are species that should be planted next to the yuca and others that should not be in the Aja because they harm the growth; some prefer shade and others avoid it, and so on for a number of agronomic criteria. In addition, dozens of medicinal plants are recognized and cultivated and the diversity of animal husbandry is not insignificant, including peccaries, turkeys, agoutis, and guanta. The connection of the Aja with the diversity of the Amazon rainforest integrates another series of wild fruits, animals, insects, birds, and river fish that enrich the incredibly diverse and healthy diet of the Shuar people.
The Amazonian Chakra
Expression used by the ancestral Quichua peoples of eastern Ecuador to name their agricultural system, which has similarities with other traditional modalities in the territory in terms of agrobiodiversity and management system, however there are nuances and particularities that give it authenticity and originality. The first determining element is the relationship with the river, in this case we will refer to itinerant agriculture in the river bed or plain. It happens that in the floods and low tides of the river over time, small islands are formed that are areas fertilized by the river, and on the contrary other areas are devastated by it.
A central focus is soil management, with greater attention paid to fertility cycles in relation to the river in the “formation of soil” from plant biomass that is incorporated in cycles and at an accelerated pace. The traditional system of native corn variety is important, ancestrally adapted to conditions of extreme humidity and high biodynamics, but without a doubt it is cassava again the mother plant that generates the rhythms in the system. Some varieties are recognized and, as a particular thing, during the harvest periods, cassava crops are kept completely “weed-free”, that is, the development of adventitious vegetation is allowed at the base of the crop, since with this technique the freshness of the product is guaranteed.
A central focus is soil management, with greater attention paid to fertility cycles in relation to the river in the “formation of soil” from plant biomass that is incorporated in cycles and at an accelerated pace. The traditional system of native corn variety is important, ancestrally adapted to conditions of extreme humidity and high biodynamics, but without a doubt it is cassava again the mother plant that generates the rhythms in the system. Some varieties are recognized and, as a particular thing, during the harvest periods, cassava crops are kept completely “weed-free”, that is, the development of adventitious vegetation is allowed at the base of the crop, since with this technique the freshness of the product is guaranteed.
By : Roberto Gortaire
SOURCES
Text adapted from SIPAN – Ingenious Systems of Agricultural Heritage, publication under review – FAO and Ministry of Culture and Heritage of Ecuador – author: Roberto Gortaire A. 2014 – 2015.
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