Food culture in the Pamirs
Based on four years of field observations in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, this case study argues that, in order to be successful, development projects aimed at food security and at conserving local agricultural biodiversity should allow cultural identity, traditional knowledge and local food culture to shape their interventions strategies.
The problem
Traditional knowledge is often overlooked when developing food security interventions. In the Pamirs, where traditional agriculture has always formed the basis of the economy, the landscape and diversity of species contained therein have been shaped by human activity, creating a system which is uniquely suited to this region and which has in turn fostered the development of a rich source of skills and resilience in its people. Today, however, this fragile system is at risk. On one hand, melting glaciers endanger the future of what little agricultural land is available (0.4 % of total land area), all of which is irrigated from glacial runoff. Poor soils and land degradation as a result of the over-exploitation of wild sources of fuel wood put pressure on the land’s capacity to produce crops. On the other hand, further landscape degradation is caused by lack of human use of the land, as younger generations move to the cities in search of work.
Agricultural biodiversity
The life of the Pamiri people, on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is inextricably linked to agricultural biodiversity. Cereals and pulses represent the most ancient and traditional element of Pamiri agriculture, displaying significant levels of diversity. Species of cereals include soft and club wheat, unique liguleless forms of wheat and rye, six species of hulled and hull-less barley, and millet and foxtail millet. Important legumes include a small type of faba bean (Vicia faba var. minor), field pea (Pisum sativum), grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), vetches (Vicia spp.) chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Med. L.). Infraspecific diversity is also high with 151 botanical varieties of wheat identified and 124 varieties among the above-mentioned leguminous crops.
While distinct varieties may be cultivated separately for specific purposes, many are grown in admixture with other varieties. Grain-legume mixtures of rye and pea/faba bean or chickpea-wheat are particularly important, in part because their capacity to fix nitrogen makes them less demanding of local soils, requiring fewer inputs, but also because of their role in food and nutrition. Crops grown together are generally also harvested, dried, and milled together, resulting in nutritious flour that is composed of at least one cereal and one leguminous crop. An important additional aspect of many local crops is their use for medicinal purposes. The small faba bean, for example, is considered a ‘wonder pill’ by many, especially when cultivated at higher elevations. It is said to contribute to the treatment of over 70 ailments. Farmers’ experiments with imported grain varieties have shown the importance of traditional crop varieties, as they are uniquely adapted to the region’s harsh environmental conditions, require no inputs and are less susceptible to pests and diseases.
The approach
In a “mountain culture in which the values of hospitality, reciprocity, and collaboration are both indispensable to survival and honoured virtues (...) food is the most important expression of wealth and hospitality and it is often eaten together, at home or in the field, from one plate and with one spoon”. The authors decided to document local views of economic and agricultural development by speaking with farmers, women and men, about their foods and recipes. Talking about food eliminates the impersonal jargon that often dominates development banter. It is an intimate and instinctive way to understand a people, a place, and their combined history. Food is also strongly evocative. Speaking and thinking about food brings up memories and ideas, especially in a place where traditional agriculture has been the mainstay of daily survival for millennia. In the harsh geography of the Pamirs, diversity (of agriculture, social relations, and ideas) plays a very large role in sustaining life. A diversity that is being undermined by the homogenizing forces of conventional development schemes.
Conclusion
This case study privileges the notion that people are forged by the environment where they live and by what they eat. A deeper understanding of traditional food cultures and a deeper respect for the people who sustain those cultures, can help formulate a truly endogenous and creative vision of what development should be.