In the last five years, Indigenous agriculture has received attention in academia as an alternative model, though on a smaller scale, to modern farming systems. Research has shown that some traditional farming systems \u2014 such as growing maize, beans, and squash together \u2014 protect soil health, reduce biodiversity loss, and support Indigenous knowledge, known as traditional ecological knowledge.<\/p>\n
How many of these elements from traditional farming can successfully translate into larger crop production models, when little research defines their economic value, is a question Kamaljit Sangha, a researcher in ecological economics at Charles Darwin University, wanted to explore in a new study<\/a> published earlier this month in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we take it from the perspective where there are holistic and multiple values [of Indigenous farming], which are mostly hidden in the current way of measuring the importance of these food systems?\u201d said Sangha. <\/p>\n When assessing how many publications include rigorous empirical evidence to measure potential scalability and sustainability for Indigenous farming systems against mainstream agriculture, \u201cthere is a gap between advocacy and evidence,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n In the study, Sangha and her colleagues found that when reviewing 49 published research articles on Indigenous peoples and local communities, known as IPLCs<\/a>, most literature highlighted the benefits of communities\u2019 traditional farming practices. This comes at a crucial vantage point, as global industrialized agricultural systems are swept up by climate change risks. The study also found a lack of research examining the quantitative productivity and scalability of IPLC farming, an area Sangha hopes to see more literature on in the near future.<\/p>\n It\u2019s estimated that a 35 to 56 percent increase<\/a> in food production, achieved while suspending land clearing for agricultural use, is vital to feeding a projected 10 billion people by 2050<\/a>. As climate change has emerged as a threat, food producers are looking to these reliable traditional forms of farming.<\/p>\n As average temperatures climb, climate change is decreasing biodiversity, altering nutritional values and degrading soil health. These effects are disrupting global food production and Indigenous food systems alike. Currently, food systems are responsible for 26 percent <\/a>of global greenhouse gas emissions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sangha said this review couldn\u2019t be done without acknowledging the impact of colonialism on traditional farming. \u201cIn countries like Australia, a lot of food practices Indigenous people have carried in the past have been severely impacted, and in many other countries as well,\u201d she said. The expansion of \u201cmainstream food systems\u201d has resulted in changes to Indigenous communities\u2019 diets and the widespread loss of knowledge needed to carry these practices on to future generations.<\/p>\n The study also argues that merging the two systems, rather than viewing them as opposites, is required to tackle the climate crisis. With government investment and targeted policy, IPLC agriculture can build a resilient wall against threats driven by climate change, while modern farming industries can learn from these traditional ways of growing food. Otherwise, both systems face the loss of ecological, economic, and cultural resources.<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond market value, IPLC farming systems generate substantial non-market economic contributions by reducing household expenditure on food, medicine, fibre, and fuel,\u201d the report reads. The review suggests that government funding and support can provide larger food producers with a look into how to address growing challenges caused by climate change and the impacts of fertilizers on soil health.<\/p>\n