Examination of Traditional Approaches to Tropical Agriculture

The University Of Central Florida Board Of Trustees, Orlando FL

Investigators

Abstract

Drs. Neil Duncan and John Walker, of the University of Central Florida, will undertake research in the tropical savanna known as the Llanos de Mojos (or Mojos) in the southwestern Amazon of Bolivia to better understand the relationship of plant and landscape domestication by precolumbian farmers. Mojos has been identified as a primary center of domestication for manioc, also known as cassava, one of the world's most important crops, which today feeds hundreds of millions of people. In addition, other important crops such as peanuts, squash, chili peppers, and lesser known tropical cultivars, such as peach palm, achiote, and cocoyam, may also have been domesticated in this region. Precolumbian societies developed sophisticated agricultural systems resulting in permanent changes to the landscape, in essence these societies domesticated the landscape along with a diverse suite of crops. These domesticated landscapes include forest islands and raised fields built over several thousand years. Archaeological data from Mojos can contribute to modern agricultural development through an understanding of how densely populated precolumbian societies were able to produce food on seasonally flooded tropical savanna in a way that was sustained for hundreds of years. The interdisciplinary research team will include students from the University of Central Florida and will work with archaeologists and students in Bolivia. In addition to generating data that may benefit agricultural development within and beyond Mojos, this project will work to enhance education and training for students and develop international cooperation between scientists and students in the US, UK, and Bolivia. The investigators, in collaboration with a paleoecologist from Northumbria University (United Kingdom), will use strategic landscape sampling, subsurface cores of lakes and wetlands, and stratigraphic excavation of both forest island habitations and raised fields in the Llanos de Mojos of southwestern Bolivia to obtain complementary datasets that will be used to reconstruct and analyze the long-term agricultural history of Mojos. This research uses palaeoethnobotany and landscape archaeology to define the history of combined plant and landscape domestication in Mojos. They propose that cultivation and adoption of specific crops, such as manioc and maize, drove the domestication of these landscapes through altered fire regimes, the development of raised field agriculture and clearance of gallery forests. Forest islands were inhabited by both farmers and cultivated plants. Later, raised fields were built to improve conditions for a wide range of plants. It is suggested that raised fields added flexibility to these agricultural systems allowing more plants to be grown in more places throughout the year. This award is made possible by the SBE-RCUK Lead Agency Agreement. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.