Family Farming Knowledge Platform

Cultural indicators of Indigenous people’s food and agro-ecological systems

Globally, there are some 370 million Indigenous Peoples representing at least 5,000 different linguistic groups in more than 70 countries. Indigenous Peoples comprise about 5.5 percent of the world’s population, yet they are disproportionately represented among the poor and food insecure, in both developed and developing countries. Indigenous Peoples’ relationship with their traditional lands and territories forms a core part of their identity and spirituality and is deeply rooted in their culture, language and history. Since land and its resources form the basis of Indigenous Peoples’ subsistence activities, losing control of these undermines their food and livelihood security and can threaten their survival as peoples. Furthermore, Indigenous Peoples’ overall health, well-being and cultural continuity are directly related to their ability to eat traditional foods and continue their traditional food practices. These traditional foods and food practices are deeply intertwined with their cultures and value systems, and play an important role in religious ceremonies and spirituality, as well as in songs, dances and myths. While their agro- ecological and food systems offer some signs of resilience and adaptation, a range of factors are increasingly threatening these systems and Indigenous Peoples’ well-being. The paper reviews Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including their right to food, as enshrined in various UN Declarations, Conventions and Covenants, and summarizes the current work undertaken by UN and some other international organizations as well as some national agencies in using cultural and related indicators that are being or could be applied to Indigenous Peoples. A modified version of the Sustainable Livelihoods framework is proposed as a tool for understanding the relationships between culture and food and agro-ecological systems and the ways these interact with the natural environment and the policy and institutional context to influence livelihood, food security and well-being outcomes.

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Author: Ellen Woodley
Other authors: Eve Crowley, Jennie Dey de Pryck, Andrea Carmen
Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Other organizations: International Indian Treaty Council (IITC)
Year: 2006
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Country/ies: Australia, Cameroon, Guatemala, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama
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Type: Technical paper
Content language: English
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