A Legacy project for small grains in Japan
Project Lead: Saori Ogura, Ph.D. Candidate in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Diverse traditional agricultural systems, including the use of traditional crops varieties and rain-fed methods of agriculture, have been carried out for thousands of years and contributed to humanity’s survival. In particular, traditional small grains that are high in nutritious value and resistant to drought have a key role to play in agricultural resilience and adaptation to climate change. However, in many parts of the world, they are quickly disappearing owing to promotion of industrial farming methods and agricultural intensification. Revitalizing climate-resilient, water-efficient grains is an urgent agenda, and requires documentation and knowledge transmission of the farming practices.
This project builds a collective community resource as communities reflect on their heritage and agricultural history, reinforcing sustainable ways of knowing, being, and doing. The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to advancing local and worldwide sustainability by assisting communities in maintaining agricultural biodiversity and in improving their food sovereignty and climate change adaptability.
The main objective of the project is creation of a short documentary film on Japanese small grains, through documenting the stories, knowledge, farming practices and meaning around small grains with my illustrations and photographs. The documentary film will be shared widely and internationally through YouTube, as well as with the school children and other members of the community through a series of workshops that are organized with the aim to help initiate preservation and revitalization processes.
The Interdisciplinary Histories Research Cluster looks forward to screening this documentary in W2021, as a part of its annual Seminar Series.