Ecosystems and Well-being

Local, traditional, and indigenous food systems were successful in supplying year-round requirements for food and within the environmental constraints.  How were they able to do it? What were the practices and principles of local food systems that helped them thrive and maintain growing population in many parts of the world?  These food systems have been embedded in the society. Many traditional societies evolved around such unique food systems. Such food systems have been maintaining agricultural biodiversity and are important source of knowledge and culture as documented by the  Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems  (GIAHS) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. For example,  rice-fish-duck system in China,   traditional agriculture of Koraput, India ,  Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi in Japan ,  Andean agriculture, Peru ,  Maasai Pastoralist Heritage Area in Tanzania , etc. These have been well doc...