At the international level, many societies feel threatened by one form of intercultural dialogue: world trade. Current trade negotiations are not dialogues between equals. Poor farmers cannot compete in an international market place if their goods are shut out of richer countries, while subsidized farm produce from industrialized countries is sold at, or even below, production cost in poor countries. Many developing countries want to produce for export purposes, but will not reach their full potential until further dialogue among nations leads to a fairer trading system.
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The goat: passport to a wider world The domestication of the wild goat, possibly the first farm animal, in prehistoric Southwest Asia had a profound impact on culture. Goats provided milk and, since they reproduced quickly and were easily herded, a ready source of meat. Communities did not have to spend as much time hunting. The animals also provided fibre for weaving and skins for clothing, lightweight watertight containers and offerings to the gods. Goats allowed human groups to migrate, since their food could walk with them - it did not have to be carried. Indeed, because goats thrive in harsh places, from the fringes of the Sahara to the cold mountain ranges of Asia, and eat bitter vegetation not palatable to other species, they gave the human race the flexibility to live almost anywhere. Such mobility facilitated contact and dialogue among different populations. |
The term “globalization” refers to today’s ever-increasing mobility of goods, services, labour, information, technology and capital throughout the world. Its impact on cultures - food systems, diets and even retail food marketing - is profound.
An increasingly integrated and urbanized world and improved transportation are spurring a greater concentration of ownership in the food industry. For example, the 30 largest supermarket chains now account for about one third of food sales worldwide. Many domestic supermarket chains are shifting towards contracts with a limited number of suppliers. International food brokers want a narrow range of agricultural products that can be transported over longer distances and preserved over longer periods. Small-scale farmers risk being excluded from this globalized marketplace.
Globalization continues to influence the global diet, which is increasingly similar and characterized by greater reliance on a narrow base of staple grains such as wheat and rice, increased consumption of meat, dairy products, edible oil, salt and sugar, and lower intake of dietary fibre. The increased consumption of street foods and brand-name processed foods reflects the new urban lifestyle.
It is clear that more intercultural dialogue is needed in order to tackle the negative impacts of globalization.
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Ifugao rice terraces: a model holistic farming system When rain falls in the rice-growing region of Ifugao province in the Philippines, it enters an ingenious 2 000-year-old farming system. Communally managed forests on top of steep hills provide food, medicine, fuel wood, construction timber and wood for carving. Because they have been managed sustainably, the hilltops absorb rain water and feed it into rice terraces built into the hillsides. The terraces control rainwater that could otherwise cause severe flooding and erosion. The rice paddies act as a water filtration system and provide communities living in the valleys below with drinking water. The system is based on “biorhythm” technology, in which social, cultural and economic activities and periods of rice harvest, wine production and religious rituals are all harmonized with the rhythm of climate - rainfall, temperature and relative humidity - and hydrology. Yet Ifugao culture is not frozen in the past. Needing higher incomes, the Ifugao have intercropped their woodlots with high-value crops such as banana, coffee and citrus - wise changes that do not harm the area’s unique hydraulic system. What can other cultures learn through dialogue with the Ifugao? For agricultural policy makers, their technologies, culture and traditions can act as benchmarks for policy formulation. The system serves as an example of, and inspiration for, sustainable agriculture for the rest of the Philippines and the world. FAO’s Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems programme is working with the Ifugao to help them conserve and promote their farming system. The programme aims to establish the basis for the global recognition, conservation and sustainable management of such systems and their associated landscapes, biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures, starting with pilot projects in five to ten heritage farming systems around the world. |
