A study examines how ancient farmers in Peru used El Niño flooding for agriculture. El Niño often induces natural disasters, but ancient farmers in Peru may have used floodwater for agriculture. Ari Caramanica and colleagues combined archaeological excavations of irrigation, water storage, and field systems with a pollen record from a prehispanic well to examine ancient use of floodwaters in the Pampa de Mocan region of Peru that is upslope of the highest active irrigation canal. The authors also compared reconstructions of ancient fields and water storage systems with modern-day vegetative communities in the region during 2016, when El Niño did not occur, and during the 2017 El Niño Costero. Analysis of Cupisnique ceramic sherds suggested that the region was used for agriculture as early as 1100 BCE. Although the region currently has poor soil for agricultural purposes, ancient pollen samples indicated that vegetation was once dynamic, and ancient farming activities continued while the area experienced runoff from El Niño flooding. Ancient farmers benefited from high water levels that flushed out salts; present-day local smallholders also grew crops in sedimentary buildup as 2017 floodwaters receded. Moreover, flexible irrigation systems allowed ancient farmers to alternate between runoff harvesting and river water distribution, suggesting that El Niño events may have agricultural advantages, according to the authors.
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Article #20-06519: "El Niño resilience farming on the north coast of Peru," by Ari Caramanica et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ari Caramanica, Universidad del Pacifico, Lima, PERU; tel: +51967208029, +018572091690; e-mail: a.caramanica@up.edu.pe , acaramanica@gmail.com ; acaraman@fas.harvard.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences