Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

The current trend towards slow, organic food calls for a revival of sustainable agroecological practices which have been mastered by indigenous peoples (IPs) through centuries. However, IPs have not been immune to the “green revolution” of the 20th century, impacts of which still reverberate in the present. The Ifugaos, a conglomeration of various ethnolinguistic groups in the Cordillera mountains of the Philippines, learned to coexist with nature, protecting watershed areas, carving out paddies on mountain slopes and planting them with heirloom rice strains, growing vegetables through mulching, and raising sweet potatoes on swidden farms. Fish was grown on ponds within the terraces and various edible snails and insects complemented their protein source. With the introduction of chemicals, pesticides, and invasive species however, these healthy diet sources are fast disappearing. Lately, there have been small-scale efforts to rejuvenate the rice terraces with fully organic methods and reintroduce the disappearing fishes, snails, and other fauna. This paper will trace the evolution of the Ifugao rice terraces from its more pristine conditions through the onset of the “green revolution” until today’s efforts to bring back its sustainable character. Issues and challenges faced by restoration efforts including the money economy and climate change will be discussed. In the end, it is hoped that this presentation will show an example of how slow, organic practices can be revitalized amidst homogenized food production.