While I fully appreciate the importance of Indigenous knowledge in agriculture and other cultural issues, I do see some need for caution accepting it without first reviewing why it evolved into todays agriculture. In reviewing this, it must be recognized that we live in a dynamic world in which everything is evolving. That includes the overall economic environment in which agriculture operates, with an ever-growing population to feed and clothe, as well as the aspiration of the people for a better, perhaps more materialistic lifestyle. An example of this dynamic comes from this consultation when someone from Kenya referred to maize, the staple crop of much of Africa, as an indigenous crop. Sorry, but maize is exotic to Africa, being a native crop of the Americas. However, it was very quickly introduced to Africa with the early European explorations of both the Americas and Africa. It then rapidly became the staple crop throughout Sub-Saharan Africa both east and west. I think replacing sorghum and millet. The difference in how maize is prepared in Africa as ugali or nsima compared to the tortilla in the Americas may reflect the preparation of sorghum. Enough note on the history of food.
The note of concern for the consultation is what was economic viable when indigenous crop were relied upon, may no longer be so. Thus, the concern is: will the reverting to indigenous production provide the lifestyle today’s population expect, or will the yields be too low to meet those expectation? If not will people, particularly youth, drift away looking for a better life? Isn’t this what happened to the 2000-year-old rice terraces in Banaue, Philippines? Aren’t they now largely abandoned as they could only be managed manually and are no longer competitive with the highly mechanized rice production clearly visible down on the central plains of Luzon? I am not even certain the abandoned terraces have any tourist value today as they did in the past. Also, if indigenous practices are lower yielding will it result in increased land being cultivated to optimize food security for both farm families and urban populations? Would this land be better left fallow or placed in conservation reserves? Which would be environmentally more desirable?
Also, with the ever-growing urban population will your indigenous production provide sufficient food surplus to feed the growing urban population without forcing the government to invest heavily in food imports. Also, will it provide a good quality balanced diet advocated by the development community, or will it be too labor intensive to provide the necessary 4000 kcal/day diet needed to undertake a full day of diligent agronomic field work. Currently most smallholders only have access to 2500 kcal/day which allocating 2000 kcal/day for basic metabolism only leaves 500 kcal/day to work energy. That is good for only a couple hours of diligent field work, extending most crop management activities to excessive days with declining potential yield from both the time delay and quality of effort. In this case will relying on indigenous agriculture result in poverty entrapment.
For those interested I have referenced an article I prepared reflecting on my 50+ years assisting smallholder communities. The article is more concerned with factual accuracy than political correctness as only an emeritus professor no longer beholden to the system can express. https://agsci.colostate.edu/smallholderagriculture/wp-content/uploads/sites/77/2023/03/Reflections.pdf
Thank you
Dr. Dick Tinsley