From soil conservation to land husbandry: An ethical-affective proposal of soil use

Abstract

Since humans have become conscious of their actions they have had various types of relationships with the land. At the beginning, land was a free good, available to all living creatures. Over time, land acquired a utilitarian productive value and man became its insatiable conqueror. Nevertheless, for farmers and indigenous communities, land has had and still has a sentimental and sacred value. Indeed for some, land is the mother or "Pacha Mama". In this logic, land husbandry constitutes an ethical-emotional imperative, as it becomes one more subject within the ethical community. In this conceptual framework, this article discusses land husbandry in tropical hillside agro-ecosystems. In order to do so, the views of farmers and preservationists are contrasted and reconciled with the knowledge of soil scientists. From an ethnopedological perspective, among others, soil is understood in relation to cultures and beliefs.