An anthropologist examines what past farmers can teach us about adapting to climate change amid—and sometimes against—powerful political influences.As civil war continues to rip apart and threaten communities and families in Manipur in Northeast India, a poet reflects on those who leave and those who stay in the capital city of Imphal.An anthropologist takes us on a journey “down the line” to explore what freediving can teach us about ourselves and kinship with the sea.
However, these groups condemned the traditional milpa practice of burning new areas of forest as unsustainable. They instead promoted a “no-burn” version to grow certified. Their no-burn version of milpa relies on fertilizers to grow maize in a fixed location rather than using controlled fire ecology to manage soil fertility across vast forests.
Maya milpa farmers are now fighting to practice their ancient agricultural techniques, not because they’ve forgotten or lost those techniques but because