anthrozoology.org

Campbell, Brian C.

Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals, Volume 22, Number 3, September 2009 , pp. 239-253(15)

Abstract:

Agricultural scientists now acknowledge the wisdom and practicality behind traditional (agro)ecological knowledge (TEK). Integration of TEK into contemporary organic agricultural systems is complicated, however, by the fact that agronomists, social scientists, and extension agents began systematically eradicating traditional practices decades ago in the name of modernization. Agroecological systems based in local, traditional knowledge are now quite rare in the United States, being found almost exclusively in isolated or marginal regions. The Ozark Highlands constitutes one of these regions that still houses pockets of traditional agroecology. This research explores one specific subset of traditional Ozark agroecology, farmers' perceptions of, and interaction with, their animals. Anthropological methods, including two years of participant observation, agro-ecosystem analysis, and formal ethnoecological and semi-structured interviews, document historical and contemporary Ozark farmers' interactions with, and cultural beliefs about, animals.