ABSTRACT

Drylands cover more than 40% of the earth’s land surface, are found on all continents, and are home to 30% of the world’s population. Due to water scarcity, they are generally considered unsuitable for lasting human settlement. While pastoralism has been reconceptualized recently as a rational, efficient, and sustainable way to live in drylands, agriculture without irrigation is generally considered unfeasible in hyper-arid and arid drylands. This article presents data collected in ethnographic interviews in dryland areas in three countries, Sudan, Pakistan, and Ethiopia, to document and understand the cultivation practices of pearl millet, finger millet, and sorghum in drylands. Contrary to general trends favoring adoption of more water-intensive crops, our results show that farming without irrigation represents a viable strategy even where rainfall is considered insufficient. We argue that it is important to recognize the sustainability and value of dryland agricultural systems, past, present, and future.

摘要

旱地覆盖了地球陆地表面的 40% 以上，遍布各大洲，是世界 30% 人口的家园。由于缺水，它们通常被认为不适合人类长期居住。虽然畜牧业最近被重新定义为在旱地生活的一种合理、高效和可持续的方式，但在极度干旱和干旱的旱地，没有灌溉的农业通常被认为是不可行的。本文介绍了在苏丹、巴基斯坦和埃塞俄比亚三个国家的旱地地区进行的人种学访谈收集的数据，以记录和了解珍珠粟、小米和高粱在旱地的种植实践。与有利于采用更多耗水作物的总体趋势相反，我们的研究结果表明，即使在降雨不足的情况下，不进行灌溉的农业也是一种可行的策略。我们认为，重要的是要认识到过去、现在和未来旱地农业系统的可持续性和价值。