Agri-system histories and trajectories: crops, landscapes, and heritage

我们的目标是建立一个整体框架，研究传统的农业系统在当地的农业生态，文化和历史背景，重点是在埃塞俄比亚高地北方提格雷。从全球来看，自世纪中期以来，农业生物多样性显著下降，部分原因是注重开发范围狭窄的高产作物品种，转向机械化，密集灌溉和使用农用化学品。作物的遗传多样性基本上保存在小块土地上，使它们成为就地保护作物地方品种（地方品种）的重要地区。埃塞俄比亚是研究农业生物多样性及其在文化系统中创造和维持的方式的关键所在地，因为埃塞俄比亚高地是瓦维洛夫着名的作物多样性中心之一，其特点是土著作物和其他几种作物的次生多样性。这种多样性在高地的飞地中得以保留，同时还有传统的食品加工和非机械化农业。然而，由于新的农业方法、城市化和土地利用的变化，当地作物地方品种以及相关的传统做法和知识正日益受到威胁。北方埃塞俄比亚是重要的研究，因为它是更容易发生干旱，并经历了更高水平的粮食不安全比中部和南部地区。如果不研究土壤和侵蚀历史、土地利用（特别是梯田化阶段）如何影响土壤变异性以及记录人们对景观变化的看法，就不可能充分了解当地的农业轨迹。作物多样化和土壤保护对于提格雷地区未来的恢复力至关重要。迫切需要该项目从老年农民那里获取知识，以确定作物/地方品种作用的任何变化以及这些作物的生态优势或使用特性。由于自1970年代以来梯田开发项目可以获得详细的数据集，因此在提格雷可以特别研究土地改造、土壤和农业生物多样性变化模式之间的关系。这些数据集将使我们能够区分土地利用和侵蚀减缓的传统和现代类别，从而研究梯田随着时间的推移的遗产和功效。此外，通过区分当地与引进梯田，我们将有助于景观作为当地遗产的研究。该项目将建立一个新的多学科，国际和跨部门的研究伙伴关系，研究提格雷州不同农业气候带内的农业，作物和粮食系统。我们将进行实地考察，设计和试点跨学科的研究方法来研究传统的农业系统，并将评估和定位一系列合适的案例研究领域（例如对比当地环境，保护传统，与当地非政府组织联系，或提供长期环境历史有用背景数据的当地考古项目）。方法开发和试点研究将调查（i）当地作物选择，环境和文化影响之间的关系以及变化的主要原因;（ii）当前农业战略受当地土壤变化，景观改造模式影响的方式（特别是梯田）和侵蚀历史;以及（iii）传统农业系统与文化遗产之间的持续关系（如由作物加工副产品制成的物品、与食品加工有关的物质文化、农业景观、非物质文化遗产，如演唱的歌曲）。

We aim to create a holistic framework to study traditional agri-systems within their local agroecological, cultural, and historical settings, focusing on Tigray in the northern Ethiopian Highlands. Globally, agrobiodiversity has declined markedly since the mid-twentieth century, partly prompted by a focus on developing a narrow range of high-yielding crop varieties, shifts to mechanisation, intensive irrigation and the use of agro-chemicals. Genetic diversity within crops is largely preserved in small holdings, making them important areas for in situ conservation of crop landraces (local varieties). Ethiopia is a key location to study agrobiodiversity and the ways it is created and maintained within cultural systems as the Ethiopian Highlands are one of the centres of crop diversity famously identified by Vavilov, and are characterised by both indigenous crops and secondary diversity in several others. This diversity has been preserved in enclaves of the highlands, alongside traditional food processing and non-mechanised farming. Local crop landraces together with associated traditional practices and knowledge are, however, increasingly endangered due to new agricultural methods, urbanisation, and land use change. Northern Ethiopia is important to study as it is more drought prone, and experiences higher levels of food insecurity than central and southern zones. Droughts are increasing in frequency, and the region is feared to be particularly vulnerable to climate change.It is not possible to fully understand local agricultural trajectories without studying soils and erosion histories, how land use (especially phases of terracing) influences soil variability over time, and documenting people's perceptions of landscape change. Crop diversification and soil preservation are essential for future resilience in the Tigray region. The project is urgently needed to capture knowledge from elderly farmers to determine any changes in crop/landrace roles and the ecological advantages or use properties of these crops. The relationship between land modification, soils and changing patterns of agrobiodiversity can be especially studied in Tigray due to detailed datasets available to the project on terrace development since the 1970s. These datasets will enable us to distinguish traditional and modern categories of land-use and erosion mitigation, and hence to study the legacy and efficacy of terraces over time. Also, by distinguishing local vs introduced terracing, we will contribute to studies of landscape as local heritage.The project will establish a new multidisciplinary, international and cross-sector research partnership to study agriculture, crops and food systems within different agro-climatic zones across Tigray. We will undertake fieldwork to design and pilot interdisciplinary research methods to study traditional agri-systems, and will assess and locate a range of suitable case-study areas (e.g. contrasting local environments, preservation of traditions, connecting with local NGOs, or local archaeological projects that provide useful contextual data on long-term environmental histories). Methods development and pilot research will investigate (i) relationships between local crop choices, environments and cultural influences together with the main reasons for change; (ii) the ways in which current farming strategies are influenced by local patterns of soil variation, landscape modification (especially terraces), and erosion histories; and (iii) the ongoing relationship between traditional agricultural systems and cultural heritage (such as items made from crop-processing by-products, material culture connected with food processing, agricultural landscapes, intangible heritage such as songs sung during threshing).