The field of research focuses on the intricate interactions between agriculture, climate, and land-use patterns in monsoonal Asia, particularly during prehistoric times. This area of study is crucial for understanding how past societies adapted their agricultural strategies in response to climatic variability, which is a pressing issue given the current global warming scenario. Recent archaeological investigations have shed light on how ancient civilizations, such as the Indus Civilization, managed their agricultural systems amidst dramatic climatic changes. However, there remains a significant gap in understanding the specific environmental conditions in which these agricultural practices were developed. While archaeobotanical data provides insights into plant exploitation, the environmental niches and land-use patterns in relation to climate change are not well understood. This gap highlights the need for a more comprehensive examination of past human-plant-environment interactions, not only in South Asia but also in neighboring regions of East and Southeast Asia.

This research topic aims to explore past human sustenance and development in the monsoon-dominated regions of Asia, focusing on how societies adapted their agricultural systems to cope with multiple Holocene climatic oscillations. The main objectives include examining adaptive strategies from the past to address the challenges posed by increasing human populations and deteriorating monsoonal conditions in densely populated areas of Asia. By investigating these historical interactions, the research seeks to provide insights into sustainable agricultural practices that can be applied in the present and future. Key questions include understanding the relationship between agricultural strategies and climate change, as well as the impact of land-use changes on human-plant-environment interactions.

To gather further insights in prehistoric human-plant-environment interactions in monsoonal Asia, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Agricultural history, strategies, and plant food production
- Land-use changes
- Natural and anthropogenic environmental processes
- Hydroclimatic and agricultural relationships
- Human-plant-environment interaction
- Settlement pattern, social, and economic change

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Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology

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