Indigenous peoples and food entitlement losses under the impact of externally-induced change

Abstract

Three issues related to hunger, famine and food security are highlighted by the problems faced by “indigenous peoples” in many parts of the world. They affect not only the indigenous groups themselves, but also the potential for improved and increased food availability for the rest of humankind. First, indigenous peoples themselves continue to be subjected to the shock impact of outsiders in ways that remove their traditional access to land and other resources, especially those that provide customary sources of foods. The shock is therefore very negative in nutritional as well as the better-known cultural and health terms. Second, the destruction and disruption of many indigenous peoples is reducing the pool of knowledge (“ethnoschience”) available concerning the biosphere and natural resources, which is of widespread value to humanity. Thirdly, this compounds the already well-known shock impact of the “invaders” on those natural resources through environmental destruction and habitat alteration. These issues have a potential impact on global sustainability that is far greater than might be suggested by the small numbers of indigenous peoples involved. The paper argues for priority to be given to the links between hunger and food problems, the human rights of indigenous peoples, and environmental destruction.