People and Plants International, through its network of partners, is producing a series of traditional foodways videos as part of its Knowledge Exchange and Traditional Foodways programs. Partners in Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Namibia, the Philippines, South Africa, and the United States document and strengthen traditional food systems through a variety of approaches including community forest and non-timber forest products, seed exchanges and food festivals, videos, manuals, community gardens, and seasonal calendars.
People and Plants has created a YouTube channel to share videos produced through its different programs. Videos support local efforts to conserve and support traditional foodways, to raise awareness about the importance of traditional and smallholder food systems, and to communicate with policy-makers.
Examples include a series of recipe videos documenting traditional dishes and their relationship to local environments and cultures in Cameroon, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, and the Philippines. A video series documenting and celebrating the traditional management practices of the Bakweri people of Mount Cameroon has also included wrapper leaves, used around the world in traditional cooking, and traditional basket-making. In South Africa, a documentary was co-created with local community members from the Agter Parkhuis, offering an intimate exploration of the Cederberg Soetsuurdeegbrood breadmaking tradition.
In Mexico, the livelihoods of many Indigenous Peoples and local communities grow from the milpa agroforestry system, centered on corn but also including a rich assortment of seasonal vegetables and fruits, and medicinal, ornamental and dye plants, among others. These videos document the milpa system, as well as the negative impact of government programs, modernized agriculture techniques, and the removal of trade barriers which have flooded the market with cheap, imported foods which also increase rates of diabetes, especially among children. Also in Mexico, People and Plants produced a series of videos documenting the environmental, social, and political dimensions of Mezcal production and commercialization and a series of interviews with community members, producers, researchers, and others.
Other People and Plants partner videos celebrate Kichwa culture and territory in Ecuador as part of ongoing activities to reassess the importance and value of traditional production systems in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Videos address social, cultural and economic changes generated by development, and the activities carried out by the Association of Indigenous Communities of Arajuno (ACIA), and the Tzatzapi Community (Canelos)—which include the recovery of forgotten seeds, the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and the celebration of their traditional cuisine.
For more information on the foodways videos, and other work of People and Plants International:Â www.peopleandplants.org.
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Photo courtesy of People and Plants International
