The Inca state organized communal labor, known as mita, which was used to build terraces, maintain irrigation canals, and harvest crops. They cultivated a vast array of staple crops, including potatoes, quinoa, and maize, each with different growth requirements and harvest times.
Inca State Response to Famine: Emergency Relief and Mitigation Strategies
Furthermore, they developed techniques to freeze-dry potatoes, creating chuño, a lightweight, long-lasting product that could be transported across the empire and used for years, providing a critical reserve during lean years. This system fostered social cohesion and ensured that large-scale agricultural projects were completed efficiently.
The Waru Waru and Raised Fields In the high-altitude plains surrounding Lake Titicaca, the Inca and their predecessors perfected the use of raised field agriculture. By not relying on a single crop, they ensured that if one harvest failed due to drought or frost, others might still succeed, providing a dietary safety net for the population.
Inca State Response to Famine: Emergency Relief and Mitigation Strategies
These flat platforms created microclimates at different altitudes, effectively multiplying the types of crops that could be grown within a single valley and spreading the risk of a single-point failure. Domestication of the Potato The Inca were masters of the potato, domesticating numerous varieties specifically suited to the high Andes.
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