Towards resilient food systems: Interactions with indigenous knowledge

Indigenous Peoples protect biodiversity, reduce environmental degradation, and supply sustainable foods to their communities. Indigenous Peoples value and respect food and limit food wastage. Existing industrialized mainstream food systems can benefit from interactions with Indigenous People. Integration of science-based and Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge helps address the challenges facing current and future food systems. This is especially important in the face of climate change, which worsens the unsustainability of food systems. The review describes traditional knowledge and practices used by Indigenous Peoples to provide nutritious and diverse foods, to preserve biodiversity and to protect the environment. It emphasizes the importance of valuing Indigenous knowledge and combining their insights into management of natural resources to co-develop approaches to improve food security and sustainability. The opportunities and strategies to increase connectivity between Indigenous Peoples and mainstream food systems are discussed. Lessons learnt from experience-based practices of Indigenous Peoples’ food systems offer strategies for transitioning to more sustainable food systems. Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and practices of regenerative food systems are based on diversity, flexibility, and adaptability. Leveraging of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and practices strengthens food systems and can help in the development of strategies to feed the world more sustainably. Combining the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples with current food production, food preparation and processing enable inter-connections of food systems that may lead to mutual benefits for future food systems co-development. • Interactions with Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge can benefit global food systems • Leveraging of Indigenous Peoples and knowledge strengthens existing food systems • Indigenous Peoples’ and existing food systems need to be more inter-connected • Integrating traditional and science-based knowledge improves food sustainability