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Niche building or costly signalling? Assessing the role of terraces in an Andean highland valley

Melissa Goodman-Elgar (Washington State University)

Abstract

Agricultural terracing is a quintessential form of human niche construction. Communities reshape vertical landscapes into artificially-levelled and stabilized growing platforms altering soils, hydrology, even albedo, and soil temperature. These transformations favour symbiotic species (e.g. soil fauna, volunteer plants and cultigens). However, taking a closer look at terraced substrates, many terraced fields are unsuccessful by agricultural standards. Well-built terrace walls contain leached soil that does not hold water, encourage soil fauna or produce high yields. This begs the questions, under what conditions are terraces constructed, and for what ends are they built? Through a case study in central Peru, this paper demonstrates that terrace builders using similar technology may have different aims in mind. Climate fluctuations cannot accommodate the various growing conditions found in fields. The cultural associations of construction indicate a shift from community-level niche construction for subsistence, to state-financed costly-signalling to exhibit hegemony over people, place and resources.