Billions of people on land, including smallholders, family farmers, fishermen, and other producers and food workers, rely on agriculture and food production for their survival. Small-scale farmers, marginalized populations, indigenous people’s (IPs), tribal communities or indigenous and local communities (ILCs) are usually the least responsible but most affected by the unprecedented negative impacts of climate change. In addition, the unsustainable practices such as mono cultivation of major crops and extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in previous decades, have resulted in rampant degradation of agricultural land and soil, increased emissions, thus preventing smallholder farmers from producing sufficient and planet healthy food for their families. Building adaptive resilience in agriculture and transforming food system by realizing the enormous potential of indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) holds significant implications including the enhancement of the smallholder’s livelihoods. Additionally, under the ever-changing climate and food landscape, bridging the knowledge gap between ILK-based agroecological wisdom and modern or industrial agriculture is critical and invaluable.
This Research Topic aims to explore indigenous and local knowledge on land management and assess its potential contribution towards enhancing agricultural resilience and food system transformation. Often small landholding farmers, IPs, and ILCs as evident from different geographies and agro-climatic regions, have amassed a wealth of traditional agroecological knowledge owing to their close relationship with the elements of nature such as land, soil, water, forest, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. They demonstrate more resilience in response to socio-ecological changes, hunger, malnutrition, declining soil health, natural disasters, and economic hardships. The indigenous knowledge and biocultural practices communities possess have and continue to be passed down through generations, resulting in minimal resource extraction, waste generation, and efficient recycling of the agricultural products through integrated land management and nature-based solutions. Their alternative methods of resource utilization are well coupled with the principles of circular economy that helps securing food, nutrition, health, and the livelihood of communities at a local level. To enhance adaptability, agricultural biodiversity, and promote sustainable and nutritious food production, it is imperative to advocate for the integration of Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems (ILKs) across diverse stakeholders spanning the realms of science, policy, and practice. This integration should extend to agricultural decision-making processes, where ILKs can be leveraged to modernize farming techniques. This entails the conservation of vital resources like land, soil and water, the preservation of wild edible species, and the sustainable domestication of indigenous pastoral animals. Inferring and reproducing such ILK can potentially help filling in research gaps often realised in siloed approaches of achieving food system transformation, improving life on land and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We welcome original field research, systematic or comprehensive reviews, policy perspectives, opinion articles, ILK relevant case studies (relying on focus group discussion, surveys, in-person interviews, or knowledge-sharing events organized among agriculture stakeholders and indigenous leaders), and studies focusing on assessing the effectiveness of ILK-based approaches and lessons learned from IPLCs, smallholder farmers, and tribal communities across the globe in helping to build adaptive land and soil management, thereby strengthening agricultural resilience and promoting food system transformation.
Keywords:
Agrobiodiversity, Circular economy, Food and nutrition security, Integrated farming, Nature-based Solutions, Resource conservation, Socio-ecological interaction, Soil fertility
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Billions of people on land, including smallholders, family farmers, fishermen, and other producers and food workers, rely on agriculture and food production for their survival. Small-scale farmers, marginalized populations, indigenous people’s (IPs), tribal communities or indigenous and local communities (ILCs) are usually the least responsible but most affected by the unprecedented negative impacts of climate change. In addition, the unsustainable practices such as mono cultivation of major crops and extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in previous decades, have resulted in rampant degradation of agricultural land and soil, increased emissions, thus preventing smallholder farmers from producing sufficient and planet healthy food for their families. Building adaptive resilience in agriculture and transforming food system by realizing the enormous potential of indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) holds significant implications including the enhancement of the smallholder’s livelihoods. Additionally, under the ever-changing climate and food landscape, bridging the knowledge gap between ILK-based agroecological wisdom and modern or industrial agriculture is critical and invaluable.
This Research Topic aims to explore indigenous and local knowledge on land management and assess its potential contribution towards enhancing agricultural resilience and food system transformation. Often small landholding farmers, IPs, and ILCs as evident from different geographies and agro-climatic regions, have amassed a wealth of traditional agroecological knowledge owing to their close relationship with the elements of nature such as land, soil, water, forest, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. They demonstrate more resilience in response to socio-ecological changes, hunger, malnutrition, declining soil health, natural disasters, and economic hardships. The indigenous knowledge and biocultural practices communities possess have and continue to be passed down through generations, resulting in minimal resource extraction, waste generation, and efficient recycling of the agricultural products through integrated land management and nature-based solutions. Their alternative methods of resource utilization are well coupled with the principles of circular economy that helps securing food, nutrition, health, and the livelihood of communities at a local level. To enhance adaptability, agricultural biodiversity, and promote sustainable and nutritious food production, it is imperative to advocate for the integration of Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems (ILKs) across diverse stakeholders spanning the realms of science, policy, and practice. This integration should extend to agricultural decision-making processes, where ILKs can be leveraged to modernize farming techniques. This entails the conservation of vital resources like land, soil and water, the preservation of wild edible species, and the sustainable domestication of indigenous pastoral animals. Inferring and reproducing such ILK can potentially help filling in research gaps often realised in siloed approaches of achieving food system transformation, improving life on land and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We welcome original field research, systematic or comprehensive reviews, policy perspectives, opinion articles, ILK relevant case studies (relying on focus group discussion, surveys, in-person interviews, or knowledge-sharing events organized among agriculture stakeholders and indigenous leaders), and studies focusing on assessing the effectiveness of ILK-based approaches and lessons learned from IPLCs, smallholder farmers, and tribal communities across the globe in helping to build adaptive land and soil management, thereby strengthening agricultural resilience and promoting food system transformation.
Keywords:
Agrobiodiversity, Circular economy, Food and nutrition security, Integrated farming, Nature-based Solutions, Resource conservation, Socio-ecological interaction, Soil fertility
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.