Agri-system histories and trajectories: crops, landscapes, and heritage

农业系统的历史和轨迹：农作物、景观和遗产

• 批准号: AH/V000551/1
• 负责人: Philippa Ryan
• 金额: $ 21.24万
• 依托单位: Royal Botanic Gardens
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FV000551%2F1
• 关键词: Agri; system; histories; trajectories; crops

We aim to create a holistic framework to study traditional agri-systems within their local agroecological, cultural, and historical settings, focusing on Tigray in the northern Ethiopian Highlands. Globally, agrobiodiversity has declined markedly since the mid-twentieth century, partly prompted by a focus on developing a narrow range of high-yielding crop varieties, shifts to mechanisation, intensive irrigation and the use of agro-chemicals. Genetic diversity within crops is largely preserved in small holdings, making them important areas for in situ conservation of crop landraces (local varieties). Ethiopia is a key location to study agrobiodiversity and the ways it is created and maintained within cultural systems as the Ethiopian Highlands are one of the centres of crop diversity famously identified by Vavilov, and are characterised by both indigenous crops and secondary diversity in several others. This diversity has been preserved in enclaves of the highlands, alongside traditional food processing and non-mechanised farming. Local crop landraces together with associated traditional practices and knowledge are, however, increasingly endangered due to new agricultural methods, urbanisation, and land use change. Northern Ethiopia is important to study as it is more drought prone, and experiences higher levels of food insecurity than central and southern zones. Droughts are increasing in frequency, and the region is feared to be particularly vulnerable to climate change.It is not possible to fully understand local agricultural trajectories without studying soils and erosion histories, how land use (especially phases of terracing) influences soil variability over time, and documenting people's perceptions of landscape change. Crop diversification and soil preservation are essential for future resilience in the Tigray region. The project is urgently needed to capture knowledge from elderly farmers to determine any changes in crop/landrace roles and the ecological advantages or use properties of these crops. The relationship between land modification, soils and changing patterns of agrobiodiversity can be especially studied in Tigray due to detailed datasets available to the project on terrace development since the 1970s. These datasets will enable us to distinguish traditional and modern categories of land-use and erosion mitigation, and hence to study the legacy and efficacy of terraces over time. Also, by distinguishing local vs introduced terracing, we will contribute to studies of landscape as local heritage.The project will establish a new multidisciplinary, international and cross-sector research partnership to study agriculture, crops and food systems within different agro-climatic zones across Tigray. We will undertake fieldwork to design and pilot interdisciplinary research methods to study traditional agri-systems, and will assess and locate a range of suitable case-study areas (e.g. contrasting local environments, preservation of traditions, connecting with local NGOs, or local archaeological projects that provide useful contextual data on long-term environmental histories). Methods development and pilot research will investigate (i) relationships between local crop choices, environments and cultural influences together with the main reasons for change; (ii) the ways in which current farming strategies are influenced by local patterns of soil variation, landscape modification (especially terraces), and erosion histories; and (iii) the ongoing relationship between traditional agricultural systems and cultural heritage (such as items made from crop-processing by-products, material culture connected with food processing, agricultural landscapes, intangible heritage such as songs sung during threshing).

我们的目标是创建一个整体框架来研究当地农业生态、文化和历史背景下的传统农业系统，重点关注埃塞俄比亚北部高地的提格雷。在全球范围内，自二十世纪中叶以来，农业生物多样性显着下降，部分原因是注重开发范围狭窄的高产作物品种、转向机械化、集约化灌溉和农用化学品的使用。作物内的遗传多样性在很大程度上保留在小田地中，使其成为作物地方品种（地方品种）就地保护的重要领域。埃塞俄比亚是研究农业生物多样性及其在文化系统内创造和维持方式的关键地点，因为埃塞俄比亚高地是瓦维洛夫著名的作物多样性中心之一，其特点是本土作物和其他几种作物的次生多样性。这种多样性在高地飞地中得到了保留，同时也保留了传统的食品加工和非机械化农业。然而，由于新的农业方法、城市化和土地利用变化，当地作物地方品种以及相关的传统做法和知识日益受到威胁。埃塞俄比亚北部地区的研究很重要，因为它比中部和南部地区更容易发生干旱，而且粮食不安全程度更高。干旱频率不断增加，人们担心该地区特别容易受到气候变化的影响。如果不研究土壤和侵蚀历史以及土地利用（尤其是梯田的阶段）如何影响土壤随时间的变化，就不可能完全了解当地的农业轨迹，并记录人们对景观变化的看法。作物多样化和土壤保护对于提格雷地区未来的恢复能力至关重要。该项目迫切需要从老年农民那里获取知识，以确定作物/地方品种角色的任何变化以及这些作物的生态优势或使用特性。由于自 20 世纪 70 年代以来梯田开发项目可以获得详细的数据集，因此可以在提格雷特别研究土地改造、土壤和农业生物多样性变化模式之间的关系。这些数据集将使我们能够区分传统和现代的土地利用和侵蚀减缓类别，从而研究梯田随时间的遗留和功效。此外，通过区分当地和引进的梯田，我们将为景观作为当地遗产的研究做出贡献。该项目将建立一个新的多学科、国际和跨部门研究伙伴关系，以研究不同农业气候区内的农业、农作物和粮食系统提格雷。我们将进行实地考察，设计和试点跨学科研究方法来研究传统农业系统，并将评估和定位一系列合适的案例研究领域（例如对比当地环境、保护传统、与当地非政府组织联系或当地考古项目）提供有关长期环境历史的有用背景数据）。方法开发和试点研究将调查（i）当地作物选择、环境和文化影响之间的关系以及变化的主要原因； (ii) 当前耕作策略如何受到当地土壤变化模式、景观改造（特别是梯田）和侵蚀历史的影响； (iii) 传统农业系统与文化遗产之间持续存在的关系（例如由作物加工副产品制成的物品、与食品加工有关的物质文化、农业景观、非物质遗产，例如打谷时所唱的歌曲）。

项目成果

Landrace diversity and heritage of the indigenous millet crop fonio ( Digitaria exilis ): Socio-cultural and climatic drivers of change in the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea

本土小米作物 fonio（马唐）的地方品种多样性和遗产：几内亚 Fouta Djallon 地区变化的社会文化和气候驱动因素

• DOI: http://dx.10.1002/ppp3.10490
• 发表时间: 2024
• 期刊: PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET
• 作者: Burton G