Cereal pollen grains in pre-elm decline deposits: Implications for the earliest agriculture in Britain and Ireland

Evidence of cereal type pollen grains in the pre-elm decline sections of pollen profiles is demonstrated from five sites in Ireland and three in Britain. Technical and archaeological considerations are also discussed. It is concluded that cereal cultivation in the British Isles occurred before the traditional beginnings of arable activity as denoted by the elm decline, and that the palynological data should be seen to underline caution in referring pre-elm decline pollen changes to Mesolithic disturbance.     

Transforming the (tourism) world for good and (re)generating the potential ‘new normal’

Abstract

With or without the global COVID-19 pandemic to promote and envision a meaningful and positive transformation of the planet in general, and tourism specifically, a wake-up call is long overdue. The 300-years old industrial and modern paradigm of ruthless and selfish exploitation of natural resources has separated us from nature and ultimately ourselves to such an extent that the crises of our economic, political, environmental, social and healthcare systems do not come at any surprise. Yet, in juxtaposition to (post)modern pessimistic views, the positive transmodern paradigm shift with its holistic perspectives and practices can be observed. Led by ‘the silent revolution’ of cultural creatives, new worlds are emerging, although still kept at the margins. ‘Transformative travel and tourism’ as an ever-growing trend, appears to be an important medium through which these cultural creatives reinvent themselves and the world they live in. Inner transformation is reflected in the outer world. New ways of being, knowing and doing in the world are emerging as conscious citizens, consumers, producers, travellers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders are calling and acting upon the necessary transformation towards the regenerative paradigm and regenerative economic systems. Based on the natural cycles of renewal and regeneration, this circular approach is underpinned by regenerative land practices. The vision of connecting regenerative agriculture and transformative tourism is offered to reset the global tourism system for good.     

Identifying past agricultural activity through soil phytolith analysis: a case study from the Hawaiian islands

Soil samples from documented archaeological sites and adjacent fields were analyzed for phytolith assemblage in an effort to identify and reconstruct prehistoric and early historic agricultural systems on the Island of Hawaii. The removal of indigenous tree and shrub vegetation, subsequent agricultural activity, and eventual abandonment of the fields can be identified in the areas tested. The applicability of phytolith analysis to archaeological problems is advanced and areas of strength and weakness identified.     

Gendered mobilities and immobilities: Women’s and men’s capacities for agricultural innovation in Kenya and Nigeria

Abstract

Social norms surrounding women’s and men’s mobility in public spaces often differ. Here we discuss how gendered mobilities and immobilities influence women’s and men’s capacities to innovate in agriculture. We analyze four case studies from Western Kenya and Southwestern Nigeria that draw on 28 focus group discussions and 32 individual interviews with a total of 225 rural and peri-urban women, men and youth. Findings show that women in both sites are less mobile than men due to norms that delimit the spaces where they can go, the purpose, length of time and time of day of their travels. Overall, Kenyan women and Nigerian men have better access to agricultural services and farmer groups than their gendered counterparts. In Southwestern Nigeria this is linked to masculine roles of heading and providing for the household and in Western Kenya to the construction of women as the ‘developers’ of their households. Access and group participation may reflect norms and expectations to fulfill gender roles rather than an individual’s agency. This may (re)produce mobility pressures on time constrained gendered subjects. Frameworks to analyze factors that support women’s and men’s agency should be used to understand how gendered mobilities and immobilities are embedded in community contexts and affect engagement in agricultural innovation. This can inform the design of interventions to consider the ways in which norms and agency intersect and influence women’s and men’s mobilities, hence capacity to innovate in agriculture, thus supporting more gender transformative approaches.     

近代台湾水利工程--以嘉南大圳为例

日本占据台湾后,为了满足本国粮食与糖类的需要,也为侵华战争提供粮食支持,加紧扶持台湾的农业生产。对此,日辖台湾总督府多次颁布有关农业发展的政策并采取一系列措施。在推广优质品种、实行强制性农会组织后,总督府逐渐将重点放到完善和修筑水利工程上。由于原有埤圳模式缺点的暴露以及政府期望更有力地控制公共资源,日辖台湾总督府开始实施官修埤圳政策。台南州的嘉南大圳正是这一时期的代表。     

Hydraulic engineering and irrigation agriculture in the Moche Valley,Peru: c. A.D. 1250–1532

This paper examines the hydraulic properties (i.e. velocity and discharge) of the main late prehistoric canals of the Moche Valley. Velocities, estimated from excavated canal sections using the Manning flow equation, are compared to tables of maximum permissible velocities and reveal that canals were constructed to transport water efficiently, but that on gradients steeper than 1:100 the Chimu and Inca engineers were unable to transport large discharges without severe erosional problems. Discharge estimates are compared with modern field requirements, using a known ethnographic watering cycle. This demonstrates that in almost every instance the channel size was of the same order of magnitude as that predicted from the requirements. The construction of the Inter-valley canal to bring water to the state lands in Moche was a technological disaster.