After going through the various groups keyword blog posts, there was one that stuck out to me in my mind, simply because I have been thinking about this concept since the Tuhiwai, Smith, and Tuck reading and didn’t know the term for it. This idea I was thinking about was the integration and acknowledgement of indigenous agricultural practices and knowledge into our current agricultural practices to bring a sense of increased sustainability and consideration of the land, and how that is an important step into the decolonizing process itself.
Since this idea has been running through my head the past couple weeks, I was wondering what this is called and am glad to now know it is indigenous agroecology. Luckily, this term was included in our keywords and I am very happy that the group who took on this definition did so in a critically-thought, well-developed manner provided with the example of soy bean production in Brazil to drive home a better understanding. I think now more than ever it is important to listen to indigenous communities surrounding their agricultural practices because I think they know the land best, as well as holding abundant respect and consideration for all living things.
Emma, Estefania, Nima, and Constantine also highlighted the relationship that indigenous agroecology has economical, social, and environmental problems. I think it was incredibly important to acknowledge the negative impacts that exploitation of resources like soy beans in Brazil, regardless of the economic benefits it may have on a state. This is why it is furthermore important to implement the idea of indigenous agroecology in to our current practices to abtain and use knowledge from indigenous communities, improve the conditions and success of crops, and provide an increasingly healthier relationship between us and the land.
Overall, I found this definition to be super helpful and aided my understanding of what indigenous agroecology is. I will now consider this lots throughout the course!
Thanks:)
