OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued):Pastoralism, Agriculture

<< FOOD AND CULTURE (continued):Food Collectors, Food Production

RELEVANCE OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT:Kinship Criteria, Rules of Descent >>

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology SOC401

Lesson 13

OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued)

Horticulture

Horticulture is the simplest form of farming, using basic tools, no fertilizer or irrigation, and relying on

human power. Horticulturists use shifting cultivation techniques, also referred to as `slash and burn'

cultivation.

Horticultural Crops

Crops growth by horticulturists can be divided into three categories: tree crops, seed crops and root crops.

Common tree crops include bananas, figs, dates and coconuts. Major seed crops are high in protein. Wheat,

barley, rice, millet, oats and sorghum are all seed crops. Major root crops are high in starch and

carbohydrates. Yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes are all root crops.

The Lacondon Maya of Chiapas, Mexico, are more productive than mono-crop agriculturalists. They

achieve three levels of production from the same land and do so by maintaining (by imitating the dispersal

patterns found within ecological systems of tropical rainforest) rather than displacing them.

Slash and Burn Technique

In unused areas of vast land, slash and burn can be a reasonably efficient form of production. Ash fertilized

soil resulting from slashing and burning wild vegetation must lie fallow to restore fertility.

Under drought conditions of Al Nino (during the 1990s), horticulturists were severely criticized for

destroying large tract of grasslands and forests in Madagascar, Brazil and Indonesia, since the fires they lit

for clearing land often raged out of control.

Pastoralism

Keeping domesticated livestock as a source of food is widely practiced in areas where cultivation is not

possible. Pastoralism involves a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle within small family based communities.

Pastoralists also maintain regular contact with cultivators to help supplement their diets.

Agriculture

More recent than horticulture, agriculture uses technologies like irrigation, fertilizers and mechanical

equipment to produce high yield and large populations

Agriculture is associated with permanent settlements and high levels of labor specialization. Intensive

agriculture leads to even further specialization and use of technological inputs. It also leads to social

stratification, political hierarchies and administrative structures.

Industrialization

Since several centuries, people have used industrialized food getting strategies. There is increasing amounts

of mechanical power available for the purpose of obtaining, storing and processing food.

Industrialization also uses a mobile labor force and a complex system of markets, which has led to the

increasing commercialization of food. Therefore, food is grown not only for consumption but also for

exporting to other countries of the world.

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology SOC401

Biotechnology provides a current example of industrialized food getting, as does laser leveling or use of

GPS transmitters on grain harvesters. All these technological innovations have been incorporated into the

food production process and helped to increase food output.

Yet there are environmental costs resulting from exceeding the carrying capacity of land and from overuse

of technological innovations such as pesticides and fertilizers. The use of biotechnology in food production

is also a much debated topic.

Useful Terms

Horticulture: A form of small-scale crop cultivation characterized by the use of simple technology and the

absence of irrigation

Carbohydrates: energy source found in particular types of food group

Tropical: humid

Drought: lack of rainfall

Criticize: disapprove of

Supplement: add on

Suggested Readings

Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various

principals highlighted in this hand-out:

Chapter 7 in `Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective' by Ferrarro and/or Chapter 16 in `Anthropology' by

Ember and Pergrine

Internet Resources

In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-site for this lecture, which provide

useful and interesting information:

Anthropology of Food

http://www.archaeolink.com/anthropology_of_food_general_res.htm

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