What does the abandonment and rediscovery of incan farming methods say about the idea of progress?

The Incas developed resilient varieties of crops such as potatoes and corn. The system of terraces at the height of Incan civilization in the 1400s covered about one million hectares. The Spanish imposed their own crops and over the centuries, canal beds dried up and the locals abandoned the terraces. 

According to some researchers, the Spanish conquest left as many as half of the Incan population dead and much of the traditional knowledge for farming was lost.

However, the ghosts of Incan farming achievements still follow the Andes. In the corner of the Andes, the local population is breathing new life into Incan’s ancient practice. They are rebuilding irrigation systems like terraces and reclaiming the old traditional methods of planting crops.

An archeologist, Ann Kendall, in the 1968 began to study on Incan architecture and artwork. She thought about how the local people had no water and over the years learned how Incan builders employed stones to create the best structures for water drainage and retention systems. 

She used that and over the past three decades she formed Cusichaca Trust. Cusichaca Trust helped rehabilitate and irrigate 160ha of terraces in the Petacancha valley. Till today, lessons from this valley are now employed to restore Incan agricultural systems.

Although we think of progress as moving in a linear succession of advancements from the past to the future, the case of Incan farming practices shows that progress can involve returning to old, successful methods from history. The Incan farmers of thousands of years ago were better able to farm the Andes than are modern farmers.

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