ABSTRACT
Many non-western traditional agricultural systems have been proven to be highly productive, ecologically sound, and sustainable. This chapter presents a summary of the results from 5 years of raised field reconstruction by the Proyecto Agricola de los Campos Elevados, in conjunction with the 5 Quechua communities in and around the District of Huatta, Peru. Raised field agriculture is compared to a government-sponsored irrigation project that would destroy the remains of thousands of potentially recuperable raised fields. Raised field agriculture has been documented in many areas of the Americas, and appears to have provided an important economic base for New World civilizations. The Lake Titicaca Basin is a difficult agro-environment for present-day farmers. The reconstruction of raised fields in the Lake Titicaca Basin illustrates the role archaeology can play in developing alternative technologies. Construction began with measuring the surface of the ancient field remains to determine the proper spacing of canals and raised field platforms.
