«Noi tongani coltiviamo cose grosse»

Orticoltura e contrasto al cambiamento climatico alle isole Tonga

Abstract

The Tongan population does not separate itself from the surrounding natural environment, to the point that there is no term to define it and objectify it. Practices and social relationships revolve around such natural environment guaranteeing the community equilibrium: the agricultural destination of a field goes therefore way beyond the fulfilling of nutritive needs and it is rather connected to the social function of the cultivation. Furthermore, the land division in gendered areas of pertinence with connected specific functions makes them neither homogenous nor interchangeable. This paper analyzes in a historical and anthropological perspective those de-territorialization and re-territorialization processes which began in the XIX century under the western missionaries’ influence that are still visible today in the aid economy agricultural development policies. The Cartesian disjunction between humankind and nature seems indeed to drive the environmental policies also beyond the western cultural area, triggering a number of critical issues. The current horticulture projects promoted in the Kingdom of Tonga do not take root on the one side because the population does not master the western cultivation techniques and on the other because the staples have no social value.