Devex Dish: What can modern farming learn from the ancient Incas?

Greetings, Dish readers! Earlier this month I had the privilege of visiting Peru and hiking the Inca Trail, a four-day trek that ended at the great ancient city of Machu Picchu. It was among the most beautiful (and challenging!) experiences of my life.

And while I certainly appreciated the scenery — the Andes mountains are among the world’s tallest, enveloped in green and shifting shape as the clouds glide through them — I also found myself marveling at the vast agricultural system that the Incas built on these harsh slopes. During the trek, we passed through several Inca settlements where we walked along agricultural terraces the Incas carved into the steep hillsides, along with complex stone irrigation canals that still function today.

In using this system, the Incas developed breeds of potatoes, corn, and quinoa that could thrive at various high altitudes. (Fun fact: today there are over 3,000 varieties of native potatoes in Peru’s Andean highlands!) At the height of the Inca civilization in the 1400s, this agricultural terrace system covered a million hectares and fed an empire that spanned this whole mountain range.

Then came the Spanish conquest, and the rest is history. Much of the Inca population died, either through war or disease, and their cities fell into disrepair. The conquistadors, in need of workers, forced people off their land — dealing a blow to indigenous farming and engineering expertise that had been built up over the centuries.

It got me thinking about indigenous and traditional agricultural wisdom, which has seen a wave of renewed interest in recent years. These traditional methods prized things such as respect for land and biodiversity — a major contrast to modern monoculture farming, which relies heavily on a single crop. Among their many strengths, traditional methods can lead to a more varied and nutritious diet, as well as more resilient ecosystems.

In reporting on food systems for Devex, it’s become clear to me that a sustainable food system must marry traditional knowledge with modern-day technology and research. And I’d love to hear examples of this from you! If your work involves learning from traditional methods, please get in touch at dish@devex.com.

Related reading:

• How bringing back indigenous crops can help solve the food crisis.
• How hyperlocal seed banks are building climate-resilient agriculture.
• US bets on the future of indigenous seeds in Africa.

UNRWA is the key

Who would have thought it? The U.N. Security Council, including China, Russia, and the U.S. has found something they can all agree on: That UNRWA — the biggest distributor of Palestinian aid, accused by Israel of collaborating with Hamas — is critical to averting famine in Gaza.

“We recognize UNRWA’s indispensable role in distributing humanitarian assistance and maintaining continuity of care in Gaza, and we urge UNRWA’s continued humanitarian access and the lifting of onerous restrictions on its work,” Ambassador Robert Wood, the alternative representative of the U.S. for special political affairs at the U.N., told the 15-nation council last week.

“The United States is gravely concerned about the dire food insecurity, and the very real risk of famine. UNRWA is critical to averting this.”

The stark American acknowledgment of the agency’s importance puts the Biden administration and the U.S. Congress in a tough spot. Having cut a critical financial lifeline to UNRWA, they are constraining aid organizations’ ability to confront famine. Wood told the council that Congress has prohibited funds until at least March 2025.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration suspended funding to UNRWA following Israeli allegations that 12 UNRWA workers participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing more than 240 hostages, many of whom remain in captivity in Gaza. Israel responded with a massive military campaign resulting in the deaths of more than 34,000 people and mass starvation of Palestinians.

A review of UNRWA by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna found breaches of neutrality by some UNRWA staffers, including biased social media postings and a politicized staff union, but said Israel has yet to provide “supporting evidence” that a large number of UNRWA staffers are members of Hamas. A separate internal U.N. investigation continues to probe claims related to allegations that some UNRWA workers participated in the Oct. 7 attack.

But whatever agreement emerged among the big powers in the Security Council didn’t last long. Last Thursday, the U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution, drafted by Algeria and backed by China and Russia, that would have cleared the path for full Palestinian membership in the U.N.

Related reading:

• Why famine is ‘inevitable’ in Gaza — and what’s next.
• UNRWA restrictions hamper Gaza relief by broader UN.
• Aid groups doubt Biden's pier will solve Gaza's problems. (Pro)

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Bank on it

A global coalition of more than 280 environmental, development, and animal welfare organizations is calling on the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private-sector arm, to phase out its support for large-scale industrial livestock operations.

In a letter delivered to the bank Friday during the annual World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings, the groups called on the bank to “publicly acknowledge that industrial livestock is a major contributor to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss” and “commit to shifting the World Bank Group’s support” toward sustainable food and agriculture systems that restore the environment rather than harm it and will keep the global increase in average temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

IFC has invested $3.5 billion into expanding industrial livestock between 2017 and 2023, they write, citing pre-publication IFC figures. This is problematic given the volume of greenhouse gas emissions from animals and manure, fossil fuels, fertilizers, pesticides, and deforestation associated with livestock farming. IFC’s investments are also at odds with the bank’s updated mission in the words of bank President Ajay Banga: “The fact is, we should have a vision that is redefined from the past, and that includes addressing global crises and having [a] livable planet.”

“It is clear that the World Bank Group cannot successfully tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss without a dramatic shift in lending away from energy-intensive industrial livestock operations, toward a more just and resilient food system,” the groups write.

They also cite various projects IFC has invested in, including building pig farming complexes in China and the expansion of Ecuador’s largest meat and poultry producer, which faces complaints from local Indigenous communities.

In a statement to Devex, a World Bank spokesperson defended the institution’s investments, saying that livestock farming plays a vital role in emerging markets.

“The WBG recognizes that the global demand for animal products will continue to grow over the next few decades, posing risks of deforestation, biodiversity loss and increased greenhouse gas emissions,” the bank said. “We therefore engage in carefully selected projects that provide affordable and nutritious animal products at scale to local consumers and that have the potential to influence the whole sector, enhancing food safety, reducing the risk of zoonotic disease, improving working conditions, and supporting animal rights.”

+ Catch up on all of our coverage of the Spring Meetings and listen to our latest podcast episode for the key takeaways from the confab.  

Chew on this

Having lost many of their cattle to climate change, traditional herders in the Horn of Africa are replacing cows with camels. [The Washington Post]

Nestlé is adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal sold in poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines on preventing obesity and chronic diseases, a report has found. [The Guardian]

Financing of industrial livestock is undermining major U.S. banks’ climate commitments, and just three institutions — Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase — are responsible for over half of the $134 billion in financing, according to a report. [Friends of the Earth and Profundo]

Colum Lynch contributed to this edition of Devex Dish.