Marginal Areas and Indigenous People Priorities for Research and Action

Marginal environments are characterized by constrained agricultural potential and resource degradation attributable to biophysical and politico-socio-economic factors. These environments and the indigenous people who cultivate them rarely attract academic interest, policy studies or investment. The agricultural expertise of indigenous communities is often overlooked by decision-makers. Interventions based on mainstream crops and external technologies may fail indigenous communities where a vast range of crops are cultivated in diverse production systems and in marginal environments. Hunger, malnutrition, and poverty in indigenous communities are high. The challenges should be approached from the perspectives and resources of indigenous people. In this chapter, we discuss four biogeographical regions, arid, semi-arid, humid and mountainous, representing large parts of marginal lands and innovations, investment opportunities, and proposed action for the transformation of food systems in these areas. Marginal areas and indigenous people can benefit from improved linkages between formal and indigenous knowledge systems, participatory and demand-driven technologies, integration of indigenous knowledge in research, improvements in local crops, integrated management and access to markets. Our recommendations for the transformation of food systems in these areas include (1) Efforts to mainstream diverse value chains, (2) Development of evidence-based policies (3) Awareness of under-utilized and forgotten crops (4) Collective action and (5) Coordinated public and private investment in research and development for the empowerment of indigenous people and the development of their land.