An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal
Foodscapes are commonly embedded in spiritual landscapes, making the spiritual dimension of local and indigenous food systems an important element of food sovereignty. However, this dimension is often overlooked in food systems research and policy making. Based on ethnobiological fieldwork conducted...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.646719/full |
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| author | Francesca Castagnetti Francesca Castagnetti Jagdish Bhatta Alexander Greene Alexander Greene Alexander Greene |
| author_facet | Francesca Castagnetti Francesca Castagnetti Jagdish Bhatta Alexander Greene Alexander Greene Alexander Greene |
| author_sort | Francesca Castagnetti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Foodscapes are commonly embedded in spiritual landscapes, making the spiritual dimension of local and indigenous food systems an important element of food sovereignty. However, this dimension is often overlooked in food systems research and policy making. Based on ethnobiological fieldwork conducted in the Kailash Sacred Landscape of far western Nepal, we show how religious festivals and rituals reenact the covenant between people and the land through the numinous intercession of Hindu gods and landscape deities. To demonstrate this, we present the local calendar of the agricultural and ritual year based on data collected through household surveys and participation in festivals and agricultural activities. The complex fabric of the local agri-food system is revealed as articulated in the warp and weft of interwoven agricultural and spiritual cycles. These cycles contribute to respectful and sustainable landscape management practices by shaping the relationship people have with the land. In the annual women's festival of Gaura, the fertility and well-being of people and land is affirmed through the offering of locally produced pulses and grains. Furthermore, local gastronomic identity is enriched by the incentive to cultivate heirloom varieties of crops that are prescribed in rituals performed during Gaura and other major festivals. We conclude that spiritual practices should be considered key elements of biocultural diversity, and recommend that they receive more attention in the implementation of sustainable development that aims to embody the principles of food sovereignty. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:37:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f4be7a4a79b406fb047569d4211938e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:37:47Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f4be7a4a79b406fb047569d4211938e2022-12-21T20:17:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2021-03-01510.3389/fsufs.2021.646719646719An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western NepalFrancesca Castagnetti0Francesca Castagnetti1Jagdish Bhatta2Alexander Greene3Alexander Greene4Alexander Greene5Hearth: The Healing Earth Alliance, Edinburgh, United KingdomCentre for Biocultural Diversity, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United KingdomDepartment of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, NepalHearth: The Healing Earth Alliance, Edinburgh, United KingdomCentre for Biocultural Diversity, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United KingdomLe laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes amazoniens, University of French Guiana, Cayenne, FranceFoodscapes are commonly embedded in spiritual landscapes, making the spiritual dimension of local and indigenous food systems an important element of food sovereignty. However, this dimension is often overlooked in food systems research and policy making. Based on ethnobiological fieldwork conducted in the Kailash Sacred Landscape of far western Nepal, we show how religious festivals and rituals reenact the covenant between people and the land through the numinous intercession of Hindu gods and landscape deities. To demonstrate this, we present the local calendar of the agricultural and ritual year based on data collected through household surveys and participation in festivals and agricultural activities. The complex fabric of the local agri-food system is revealed as articulated in the warp and weft of interwoven agricultural and spiritual cycles. These cycles contribute to respectful and sustainable landscape management practices by shaping the relationship people have with the land. In the annual women's festival of Gaura, the fertility and well-being of people and land is affirmed through the offering of locally produced pulses and grains. Furthermore, local gastronomic identity is enriched by the incentive to cultivate heirloom varieties of crops that are prescribed in rituals performed during Gaura and other major festivals. We conclude that spiritual practices should be considered key elements of biocultural diversity, and recommend that they receive more attention in the implementation of sustainable development that aims to embody the principles of food sovereignty.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.646719/fullfood sovereigntyagri-food systemagro-spiritual calendartraditional knowledgebiocultural diversityagricultural ritual |
| spellingShingle | Francesca Castagnetti Francesca Castagnetti Jagdish Bhatta Alexander Greene Alexander Greene Alexander Greene An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems food sovereignty agri-food system agro-spiritual calendar traditional knowledge biocultural diversity agricultural ritual |
| title | An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal |
| title_full | An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal |
| title_fullStr | An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal |
| title_short | An Offering of Grain: The Agricultural and Spiritual Cycle of a Food System in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Darchula, Far Western Nepal |
| title_sort | offering of grain the agricultural and spiritual cycle of a food system in the kailash sacred landscape darchula far western nepal |
| topic | food sovereignty agri-food system agro-spiritual calendar traditional knowledge biocultural diversity agricultural ritual |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.646719/full |
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