Observation and experience linking science and indigenous knowledge at Zuni, New Mexico

Ancient agricultural societies farming the same soils for centuries offer alternative knowledge for combating desertification. The resulting agriculture is sustainable as well as culturally and environmentally appropriate. This paper describes an approach to enabling one such system at the Zuni Indian Reservation, New Mexico. The approach links agroecology and ethnoscience research to grassroots community action. Agroecology research has revealed enhanced soil quality in traditional runoff agricultural fields, while ethnoscience shows a subtle understanding of local soils and geomorphology. The research supports community action by recognizing and valuing a local agricultural system so that solutions to land degradation can build on indigenous knowledge.