11. Traditional Knowledge and Modern Agriculture

Abstract

As part of our studies in ENSC 315 “Global Food Securities” we are conducting research upon the topic of how traditional ecological and agricultural knowledge and practices can inform and shape sustainable modern agricultural (crop and livestock) strategies in the context of increasing global food demand and decreasing agricultural resource availability. We are using “Traditional Knowledge” as an umbrella term that encompasses agricultural practices spanning from ancient aboriginal knowledge to just before the baby-boomer-incited spike in global food demand. Through rigorous literature review of primary and secondary documents, we are exploring practical traditional knowledge and ecological paradigms and applying them to modern agricultural operation models. We aim to highlight the difficulties that arise in striving for a traditional knowledge-informed sustainable agricultural model, but also to emphasize the benefits this traditional knowledge can provide in the ongoing global food crisis. Through our research, we ultimately hope to explore a workable solution to the over-exploitive agricultural practices of the modern world that is informed by traditional ecological/agricultural knowledge and ecocentric paradigms.