Enhanced Food Supply Research Articles

Building resilience in European food supply chains: results of a Delphi study

The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have negatively affected the sustainability of the food market and contributed significantly to the increase in agricultural prices. The goal of this article is to present the results of a European Delphi study on enabling factors and barriers to developing robustness within food distribution networks. The paper also aims to identify ways to ensure food security and build resilience in supply chains for European Union (EU) citizens, as well as strategies to protect the agricultural sector. The Delphi theses, the expected timing of their implementation and their impact on selected stages of supply chains were assessed. The paper employs a literature review, the Delphi method and STEEPED analysis to identify factors for increasing the robustness of European food distribution networks. The research findings highlighted crucial factors in enhancing food supply chain resilience, including financial aid to farmers, the use of advanced technologies (like AI, remote sensing, GIS, VR, or drones), and the encouragement of conscious consumption practices. The study revealed that severe weather, inadequate financial support for farmers and insufficient favourable legislation at the national level are the main barriers to achieving resilience in food supply chains. The main recommendations for building food resilience include encouraging localised food supply chains and, advocating for eco-friendly, sustainable production approaches and small-scale agriculture and reducing unnecessary food losses. The originality of the study is reflected in the presentation of the opinions of international experts on developing robustness within food distribution networks in view of the disruption caused by COVID-19 and the geopolitical situation.

Feeding rates and carbon and nitrogen partitioning in crown-of-thorns sea star larvae (Acanthaster cf. solaris) during development

Crown-of-thorns sea star (CoTS; Acanthaster cf. solaris) outbreaks are a significant cause of coral decline. Enhanced food supply for the larvae via eutrophication is implicated as a cause of outbreaks, yet larval feeding ecology is poorly understood. In this study, feeding experiments were carried out at two algal food concentrations of 1000 cells mL−1 (~ 1.52 µg chl a L−1) and 3000 cells mL−1 (~ 4.56 µg chl a L−1) across six successive larval stages to investigate the effect of food concentration on filtration rate and ingestion rate for these stages. Filtration rate increased with larval stage and more than tripled from 127 ± 32 µL larva−1 h−1 (mean ± SE) of the youngest (2–3 dpf) larvae to 497 ± 109 µL larva−1 h−1 at late brachiolaria stage (9–10 dpf). Ingestion rate increased with food concentration and larval age, with advanced brachiolaria larvae consuming 313.5 ± 39.1 cells larva−1 h−1 in the higher algal food treatment. Organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) measured in larvae and their food indicated that the youngest feeding larvae ingested 13% their body carbon content daily, with that number almost doubling to 24% by advanced bipinnaria stage. The C/N ratio decreased sharply for brachiolaria larvae, reflecting developmental changes and greater dependence on exogenous nutrition. These results add to our understanding of the role food concentration plays in the growth and survivorship of CoTS larvae in the field.

Nanotechnology in food packaging materials: role and application of nanoparticles.

Global concerns about food security, driven by rising demand, have prompted the exploration of nanotechnology as a solution to enhance food supply. This shift comes in response to the limitations of conventional technologies in meeting the ever-increasing demand for food products. Consequently, nanoparticles play a crucial role in enhancing food production, preservation, and extending shelf life by imparting exceptional properties to materials. Nanoparticles and nanostructures with attributes like expansive surface area and antimicrobial efficacy, are versatile in both traditional packaging and integration into biopolymer matrices. These distinctive qualities contribute to their extensive use in various food sector applications. Hence, this review explores the physicochemical properties, functions, and biological aspects of nanoparticles in the context of food packaging. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of nanoparticles with different biopolymers, alongside its different potential applications such as food shelf-life extenders, antimicrobial agents and as nanomaterials for developing smart packaging systems were summarily explored. While the ongoing exploration of this research area is evident, our review highlights the substantial potential of nanomaterials to emerge as a viable choice for food packaging if the challenges regarding toxicity are carefully and effectively modulated.

Blockchain technology in a crisis: Advantages, challenges, and lessons learned for enhancing food supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study explores the implementation of blockchain technology in the Chinese food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines its advantages and challenges. This study uses an interpretive research strategy and theoretical framework to gather positive feedback on blockchain technology from the fresh vegetable food industry, online retailers, state-owned enterprises, the meat industry, the dairy industry, and retail stores. These findings highlight the potential benefits of blockchain, including enhanced efficiency, transparency, reliability, and traceability in the food supply chain. However, difficulties with labor data management, interoperability, data accuracy, financial constraints, and regulatory considerations have been identified. This study collects comprehensive data on labor management, standardized protocols, verification mechanisms, barrier-reduction efforts, and collaboration with stakeholders and regulators to address these challenges. This study aimed to create a more resilient and efficient food supply chain system by providing a roadmap for prioritizing improvements. The practical implications include risk management strategies, targeted support for farmers, and investments in sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for harnessing the potential of blockchain technology to strengthen the Chinese food supply chain amid crises.

The future of the food supply chain: A systematic literature review and research directions towards sustainability, resilience, and technology adoption

In recent years, our food supply chain facing various disruptions shows a need for higher resilience and sustainability. To better prepare for future uncertainties the food supply chain may encounter, it is imperative to understand the status quo of the food supply chain resilience literature, which focuses on deploying digital technology and integrating sustainability in supply chain management. Motivated by this, our study critically reviews the literature on food supply chain resilience against different types of disruptions, identifies research gaps, and provides a reference for the food supply chain to respond to uncertainties more effectively through digital technology and sustainability integration. To fulfil this objective, we perform a systematic literature review of academic journal articles from 2010 to 2020. Our study is novel in investigating different potential strategies to respond to various disruptions, emphasising the role of digital technologies and sustainability. The findings complement existing literature on supply chain resilience and serve as guides to supply chain practitioners facing disruptions. In addition, we investigate possible ways of adopting and optimising digital technologies to enhance food supply chain resilience and indicate areas where a sustainable future can be achieved through a more resilient food supply chain powered by digital innovations.

Perceived Effect Of Vegetable Farming On The Socio-Economic Well-Being Of Urban Households In Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria

The study examined the perceived effect of vegetable farming on the socio-economic well-being of urban households in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to; describe the socio-economic characteristics of vegetable farmers, ascertain the types of vegetables cultivated in the area, and determine the perceived effect of vegetable farming on the socio-economic well-being of urban households. The study was carried out in Calabar Metropolis using a survey research design. The population consisted of all registered vegetable farmers in the area, while the sample comprised 400 vegetable farmers selected using simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation and ranking. The results revealed that 78.75% of the vegetable farmers were women, 65% were married and 49.75% of the farmers were 41years and above. It was also found that pumpkin (Cucurbita spp) (96.75%), waterleaf (Amaranthus spp) (87.25%), amaranthus (Talinum fruticosum) (53.5%) and afang/editan/atama (Gnetum africanum/Lasianthera Africana/Heinsia crinita) (50%) were the predominant vegetables cultivated in the area. The results further showed that vegetable farming brings additional income to farmers (ranked = 1st), enable them to take care of medical bills (ranked = 2nd) and enhance food supply (ranked = 3rd) etc. It was recommended that special land allocation for vegetable cultivation, credit facilities and training should be provided to urban households to enhance vegetable production in the area.

Metal-Based Nanoparticles in Food Packaging and Coating Technologies: A Review.

Food security has continued to be a topic of interest in our world due to the increasing demand for food. Many technologies have been adopted to enhance food supply and narrow the demand gap. Thus, the attempt to use nanotechnology to improve food security and increase supply has emerged due to the severe shortcomings of conventional technologies, which have made them insufficient to cater to the continuous demand for food products. Hence, nanoparticles have been identified to play a major role in areas involving food production, protection, and shelf-life extensions. Specifically, metal-based nanoparticles have been singled out to play an important role in manufacturing materials with outstanding properties, which can help increase the shelf-life of different food materials. The physicochemical and biological properties of metal-based nanoparticles, such as the large surface area and antimicrobial properties, have made them suitable and adequately useful, not just as a regular packaging material but as a functional material upon incorporation into biopolymer matrices. These, amongst many other reasons, have led to their wide synthesis and applications, even though their methods of preparation and risk evaluation remain a topic of concern. This review, therefore, briefly explores the available synthetic methods, physicochemical properties, roles, and biological properties of metal-based nanoparticles for food packaging. Furthermore, the associated limitations, alongside quality and safety considerations, of these materials were summarily explored. Although this area of research continues to garner attention, this review showed that metal-based nanoparticles possess great potential to be a leading material for food packaging if the problem of migration and toxicity can be effectively modulated.

Management-induced changes in soil organic carbon and related crop yield dynamics in China's cropland.

Enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and food supply are vital for human survival when facing climate change. Site-specific best management practices (BMPs) are being promoted for adoption globally as solutions. However, how SOC and crop yield are related to each other in responding to BMPs remains unknown. Here, path analysis based on meta-analysis and machine learning was conducted to identify the effects and potential mechanisms of how the relationship between SOC and crop yield responds to site-specific BMPs in China. The results showed that BMPs could significantly enhance SOC and maintain or increase crop yield. The maximum benefits in SOC (30.6%) and crop yield (79.8%) occurred in mineral fertilizer combined with organic inputs (MOF). Specifically, the optimal SOC and crop yield would be achieved when the areas were arid, soil pH was ≥7.3, initial SOC content was ≤10 g kg-1 , duration was >10 years, and the nitrogen (N) input level was 100-200 kg ha-1 . Further analysis revealed that the original SOC level and crop yield change showed an inverted V-shaped structure. The association between the changes in SOC and crop yield might be linked to the positive role of the nutrient-mediated effect. The results generally suggested that improving the SOC can strongly support better crop performance. Limitations in increasing crop yield still exist due to low original SOC level, and in regions where the excessive N inputs, inappropriate tillage or organic input is inadequate and could be diminished by optimizing BMPs in harmony with site-specific conditions.

An Ethereum-Based Distributed Application for Enhancing Food Supply Chain Traceability

In today's era, humanity has been overwhelmed by technological revolutions that have changed and will continue to change how business operations are performed, directly or indirectly. At the same time, the processes within the supply chain are quite complex, and as technology and processes evolve, they become more and more challenging. Traceability has become a critical issue in the food industry to ensure safety, quality, and compliance with regulations. The adoption of blockchain technology in the food supply chain has gained significant attention as a potential solution to improve traceability. This paper presents the development of a distributed application for table olives' traceability on the Ethereum network. The paper also presents a methodological framework, which can help anyone aiming to implement an Ethereum decentralized application and demonstrates the practical use of the developed application by a Greek table olives producer. The application significantly improved the producer's product traceability by providing a secure, transparent, and efficient solution for tracking and tracing the products in the supply chain. The app reduced the time, increased the accuracy and reliability of data, improved supply chain efficiency, and helped the producer comply with international regulations and standards.

Enhancing Food Supply Chain in Green Logistics with Multi-Level Processing Strategy under Disruptions

Food supply chains (FSCs) have long been exposed to environmental variability and shock events caused by various economic, political, and infrastructural factors. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed and identified the vulnerability of FSCs, and promoted integrated optimization approaches for building resilience. However, existing works focusing on general supply chains (SCs) and FSCs have not been fully aware of the distinct characteristics of FSCs in green logistics, i.e., the expiration of fresh products. In reality, perishable food materials can be processed into products of different processing levels (i.e., multi-level processing) for longer shelf lives, which can serve as a timely and economic strategy to increase safety stocks for mitigating disruption risks. Motivated by this fact, we study the problem of enhancing FSC with a multi-level processing strategy. An integrated location, inventory, and distribution planning model for a multi-echelon FSC under COVID-19-related disruptions is formulated to maximize the total profit over a finite planning horizon. Specifically, a two-stage stochastic programming model is presented to hedge against disruption risks, where scenarios are generated to characterize geographical impact induced by source-region disruptions. For small-scale problems, the model can be solved with commercial solvers. To exactly and efficiently solve the large-scale instances, we design an integer L-shaped method. Numerical experiments are conducted on a case study and randomly generated instances to show the efficiency of our model and solution method. Based on the case study, managerial insights are drawn.

The impacts of tropical storms on food prices: Evidence from China

AbstractClimate change is a major source of external shocks to the economy. In this article, we estimate the short‐term impacts of tropical storms on food prices. After matching the track records of tropical storms with retail prices of food products during 1998 and 2012 in China, we find that tropical storms lead to food prices increasing by 2.3%, and the effect lasts more than one month. The positive impacts on prices mainly concentrate on fresh vegetable products. One main channel of price increases caused by tropical storms is the supply‐side shock to the transportation and distribution system. We find limited evidence of price increases driven by demand‐side shocks such as food displacement and food composition changes. The impacts of tropical storms on food price increases lead to a total loss amounting to $92 million each year on average. This study contributes to literature evaluating the price impacts caused by tropical storms and provides policy implications on enhancing food supply resilience.

Enhancing Food Supply Chain Security through the Use of Blockchain and TinyML

Food safety is a fundamental right in modern societies. One of the most pressing problems nowadays is the provenance of food and food-related products that citizens consume, mainly due to several food scares and the globalization of food markets, which has resulted in food supply chains that extend beyond nations or even continent boundaries. Food supply networks are characterized by high complexity and a lack of openness. There is a critical requirement for applying novel techniques to verify and authenticate the origin, quality parameters, and transfer/storage details associated with food. This study portrays an end-to-end approach to enhance the security of the food supply chain and thus increase the trustfulness of the food industry. The system aims at increasing the transparency of food supply chain monitoring systems through securing all components that those consist of. A universal information monitoring scheme based on blockchain technology ensures the integrity of collected data, a self-sovereign identity approach for all supply chain actors ensures the minimization of single points of failure, and finally, a security mechanism, that is based on the use of TinyML’s nascent technology, is embedded in monitoring devices to mitigate a significant portion of malicious behavior from actors in the supply chain.

Benthic foraminiferal turnover across the Dan-C2 event in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean (ODP Site 1262)

The Paleogene was punctuated by perturbations of the global carbon cycle, many associated with transient global warming events (hyperthermals). The Dan-C2 event (~160 kyr after Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary; K/Pg) was the oldest of these eccentricity-linked carbon cycle disturbances (ELCD). In contrast to other hyperthermals, the Dan-C2 event was not characterised by bottom water warming, and surface water warming probably was not global. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages across Dan-C2 at SE Atlantic Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1262 are diverse and strongly dominated by calcareous species. Epifaunal and infaunal morphogroups are equally abundant, suggesting meso-oligotrophic seafloor conditions. Assemblages decreased in diversity gradually before Dan-C2, and Nuttallides truempyi decreased in relative abundance while Stensioeina beccariiformis and the agglutinant Spiroplectammina spectabilis increased, suggesting enhanced food supply to the seafloor. Benthic foraminifera were not highly affected by the Dan-C2 event. An increase in relative abundance of the opportunistic species Bulimina kugleri and Seabrookia cretacea after Dan-C2 points to a change in the type of organic matter arriving at the seafloor. These changes may have been caused by ongoing environmental and/or evolutionary instability following K/Pg mass extinction of oceanic plankton. Variability in composition of pelagic ecosystems, thus the type and/or amount of food arriving at the seafloor, may have been caused by the gradual recovery of pelagic ecosystems after that extinction, possibly affected by warming and pH changes due to Deccan volcanism.

A leverage points perspective on institutions for food security in a smallholder-dominated landscape in southwestern Ethiopia

Despite concerted efforts, achieving the goal of universal food security remains challenging. Food security interventions occur at different levels of systemic depth. Some interventions target visible supply-side gaps, while others focus on deeper systemic problems in the food system. Here, we used a leverage points perspective to ask how multiple types of more superficial (shallow) and more fundamental (deep) interventions in the food system interact. Focusing on a case study in southwestern Ethiopia, we examined (1) recent changes in formal and informal institutions related to food security; (2) the effects of formal and informal institutions on the food system at different levels of systemic depth (i.e., on parameters, feedbacks, design, and intent); and (3) issues of institutional interplay between formal and informal institutions. We surveyed 150 rural households and analyzed key policy documents. Both formal and informal institutions were perceived to improve food security. However, at the intent level, formal institutions primarily aimed to enhance food supply, while informal institutions additionally sought to build trust among farmers. At the design level, formal interventions targeted information flow through a newly created agricultural extension system, while informal institutions facilitated labor sharing and communication. In terms of institutional interplay, new formal institutions had partly undermined pre-existing informal institutions. We conclude that both visible supply-side gaps and deeper drivers of food insecurity should be targeted through food security interventions. Interventions need to be cognizant of potentially unexpected ways of institutional interplay, especially between formal and informal institutions.

Effects of ozone on agriculture, forests and grasslands.

The damage and injury that ground level ozone (O3) causes vegetation has become increasingly evident over the past half century with a large body of observational and experimental evidence demonstrating a variety of effects at ambient concentrations on crop, forest and grassland species and ecosystems. This paper explores the use of experimental data to develop exposure-response relationships for use in risk assessment studies. These studies have typically identified the USA mid-West, much of Europe, the Indo Gangetic Plain in South Asia and the Eastern coastal region of China as global regions where O3 is likely to threaten food supply and other ecosystems. Global risk assessment modelling estimates yield losses of staple crops between 3 to 16% causing economic losses of between US$14 to 26 billion in the year 2000. Changes in anthropogenic emissions of O3 precursors in recent decades have modified O3 concentration profiles (peaks versus background O3) and global distributions with the Northern Hemisphere seeing increases in O3 levels of between 1 and 5 ppb/decade since the 1950s and the emergence of Asia as the region with the highest O3 concentrations. In the future, O3 mitigation could focus on methane (CH4) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions; these will differentially influence global and local/regional O3 concentrations and influence daily and seasonal profiles. The consequent effects on vegetation will in part depend on how these changes in O3 profile alter the exceedance of detoxification thresholds for plant damage. Adaptation options may play an important role in enhancing food supply while mitigation strategies are being implemented. An improved understanding of the mechanisms by which O3 affects plants, and how this might influence detoxification thresholds and interactions with other environmental variables such as water stress and nutrients, would help develop O3 deposition and impact models to support the development of crop, land-surface exchange and ultimately earth system models for holistic assessments of global change. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Air quality, past present and future'.

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Nigeria in Context of COVID-19

Post-harvest losses and food shortage has remained endemic to most Sub-Saharan African communities. The reality of COVID-19 in these countries has unfurled the weakness of agricultural sector in containing long lasting effect of such natural disaster. In most developed countries, the impact of COVID-19 is minimal on the agricultural sector because of their functional robust food supply chain structure unlike most developing countries. The effort of most African countries in this sector is yet to come to fruition; this will not happen without sustainable agricultural mechanization. This would further enhance food supply chain mechanism in the agricultural sector. In this paper, the impact of COVID-19 on food supply in Nigeria was discussed, as well as the proffered approaches in combating similar future disaster.

Robust Food Supply Chain Traceability System based on HACCP using Federated Blockchain

In this fast growing world, everything needs to change and upgrade with the technology to survive in this rapidly changing environment. The Food Supply Chain system is one of them. In traditional supply chain management functions, it is hard to manage the flow of traceability information of products timely and effectively among upstream to downstream stakeholders.This gap in the flow of information and untrusted traceability of product causes to generate food contamination hazards and also increasing the network of modern FSC systems is still challenging to provide quality, privacy, and integrity of traceability mechanism. HACCP and Blockchain-based FSC provide various functions to enhance the FSC process such as traceability,transparency, security among all stakeholders. In these functions, some most important functions of the Food Supply Chain system are traceability, amount of data sharing, and privacy of data of products among stakeholders.
 In this paper, we are going to provide an Enhanced Food Supply Chain Traceability system based on Federated Blockchain with HACCP using smart contracts. This model will manage by pre- selected leaders’ nodes. These leaders’ nodes have the right to control the action of middle nodes and lower nodes. The amount of data sharing can also be controlled by the leaders’ nodes.So, any particular transaction is restricted to perform by middle and lower nodes because the Federated Blockchain is partially decentralized. This model overcomes the issue of privacy concern which remains unsolved by blockchain-based FSC and makes a better and enhanced Federated Blockchain-based FSC traceability system.

Colonialism and the Agikuyu Women Indigenous Knowledge Systems on Food Crop Production in Kiambu Kenya 1902-1918

The introduction colonial capitalist economic policies and practices such as land alienation, forced labour and commercial crop production acted as a major catalyst of change on the existing African indigenous subsistence production especially the Agikuyu Women’s Indigenous Knowledge System (AWIKS). This research paper focused on examining the effects of European colonialism on the AWIKS on food crop production from 1902-1918. The study employed descriptive research design and historical trend analysis and it was done in three sub-counties of Kiambu West, namely, Limuru, Lari and Kikuyu. Purposive and snowballing technique was used to get the respondents who were the bearers of the most relevant information. The main source of information was the corroboration of oral interviews, archival records analysis and secondary data. Oral interviews data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) and reported using basic simple descriptive statistics. The Women and Development (WAD) theory helped to examine the nature in which the Agikuyu women were integrated in colonial capitalist economy, which explains their marginalization, subordination, oppression and dependency on men. The study found out that during the establishment of colonial rule the Agikuyu people were moved from their indigenous land and were pushed to poor, marginal and unproductive reserve areas where they did not have enough experience and accumulated indigenous knowledge system of the new agro-ecosystem. In addition, most of the drought tolerant food crops were neglected and others destroyed a move that may have led to underutilization of AWIKS on food crop production. This implied that the food supply was compromised and the society became more vulnerable to drought and famine. Therefore, in order to enhance food supply in the households some of the AWIKS on food crop production may be integrated into the modern western agricultural production practices.

Central Equatorial Pacific benthic foraminifera during the mid-Brunhes dissolution interval: Ballasting of particulate organic matter by biogenic silica and carbonate

We evaluated the response of Quaternary abyssal benthic foraminifera in cores PC5101 (2º00.86′N, 131º34.32′W) and PC5103 (6º00.10′N, 131º28.57′W) of the Central Equatorial Pacific Ocean to the environmental changes over the past ∼520 kyrs, focusing on the mid-Brunhes dissolution interval (∼533–191 ka). We used multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) to derive MDS axis 1, reflecting food supply from low (negative scores) to high (positive scores) amounts, and MDS axis 2, reflecting variability in the food supply. From ∼120 ka on, Epistominella exigua, an indicator of variable food supply, was more abundant in core PC5103 (∼6oN) than in core PC5101 (∼2oN), but this was reversed from ∼300 to 250 ka.In core PC5101, MDS axis 1 scores are negatively correlated to the biogenic opal mass accumulation rates (MAR) after 249.6 ka, i.e., lower food supply at higher opal-MAR. In contrast, MDS axis 1 scores are positively correlated to the CaCO3-MAR from 520.8 to 331.2 ka. Both carbonate and opal skeletons might ballast particulate organic matter (POM) to enhance food supply to the benthos, but our data indicate that carbonate is more efficient and that changes in dominant ballasting of POM by different biominerals thus may have significantly affected the biological pump. During the transitional period (∼327.5–257.1 ka), ballasting of POM changed from control by calcareous plankton to control by siliceous plankton, with a transient period during which the latitudinal pattern of the Intertropical Convergence Zone was opposite to its modern pattern, with the more variable food supply at ∼ 6oN.

THEORETICAL AND SOCIOECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF FIRE FOODWAYS

Archaeological investigations of the effects of anthropogenic fire on the subsistence economies of small-scale societies, particularly those of the prehispanic northern American Southwest, are embryonic in scope and disciplinary impact. When burning has been mentioned in such studies it typically has been with reference to its alleged effectiveness in clearing land or deforesting areas for maize agriculture. In this article, in contrast, we present the results of our initial efforts to estimate the yield and socioecological consequences of cultivating a common fire-responsive ruderal—amaranth—whose growth is enabled by anthropogenic burning of understory vegetation in the Southwest's pinyon-juniper ecosystems. With data from the Upper Basin (northern Arizona), we show that, in an area that is not environmentally conducive to maize production, populations could be supported with systematic, low-intensity anthropogenic fires that promoted the growth of amaranth and other ruderals, such as chenopodium, which consistently dominate archaeobotanical and pollen assemblages recovered from a variety of archaeological and sedimentary contexts in the region. Based on this evidence, as well as modern fire ecological data, we propose that fire-reliant ruderal agriculture, in contrast to maize agriculture, was a widespread, sustainable, and ecologically sound practice that enhanced food supply security independently of variation in soil fertility and precipitation.