“Harvest the Past, Feed the Future: Reviving Ancient Food Systems to Defeat Hunger in the Anthropocene”

About 4,000 years ago, farmers throughout the Ohio Valley region grew a suite of native crops that sustained their growing populations. These pre-maize crops were the cornerstone of the diet for ancient cultures that today we refer to as the Adena and Hopewell. Although they are abundant in our backyards and gardens, these plants are often regarded as weeds. The archaeological record, however, allows us opportunities to see the potential of these plants to be used as a sustainable nutritious food
source. In this lecture, Dr. Patton will discuss his work and the work of other scholars into the potential of growing and developing these lost crops as modern-day food resources. This symposium will provide archaeologists, farmers, and community members opportunities to discuss the potential of these crops for agricultural entrepreneurship and economic development while placing them in their prehistoric cultural context.

Dr. Paul Patton is the Social Enterprise Director for Rural Action. Paul received a PhD in Anthropology from the Ohio State University, and a MS in Environmental Studies from Ohio University. His academic training and research has focused on understanding and documenting food systems and crop varieties of the Appalachian region, the domestication of native plants by first peoples in the Ohio Valley, and the diversification of modern food systems through the integration of traditional knowledge. Paul’s research has been featured in both regional and international journals and publications.