ABSTRACT
This chapter talks about agriculture and takes crop production or yield as the measure of land performance. Throughout prehistory and up to the beginning of the twentieth century, agriculture was central to Polynesian occupation of Rapa Nui, and gave rise to a rich agricultural tradition, described in the early twentieth century by Englert, McMillan Brown, and Mtraux. Polynesians colonized Rapa Nui by AD 690, although there is some debate concerning the timing of human arrival. Traditional soil classification on Rapa Nui refers to vaguely defined, rather subjective and experiential soil characteristics. On Rapa Nui, surface rocks were used to conserve soil moisture and protect the tubers from direct sunshine namely, lithic mulch. On Rapa Nui, planting traditionally occurred according to lunar phases. The main climatic constraints on crop production on Rapa Nui in the present and the past are water availability and wind strength. The only sources of freshwater on Rapa Nui were the Rano Raraku crater lake and caves.
